


You Seem Like a Fighting Type Too!

by Xylveon



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Adopted Eri (My Hero Academia), Adult Midoriya Izuku, Alternate Universe - No Quirks (My Hero Academia), Big Brother Midoriya Izuku, Cute Eri (My Hero Academia), Dad Might, Detective!Hitoshi, Don't hate me for it, Don't kill me for it, Dracophobia, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, English spelling for the names, English spelling of names, Eri is powerful, F/M, Fear of Dragons, Hurt/Comfort, Inspired by Detective Pikachu, Is reluctant about it at first, It'll make sense, Lightly influenced, Midoriya Izuku Adopts Eri, Midoriya Izuku Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Midoriya Izuku is a Good Friend, Oh wait that would be me, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Midoriya Izuku, Smol Eri, Talking Pokemon, Temporary Amnesia, Toshi is a cute nickname, Who hurt my boy, because she deserves it, detective!izuku, no beta we die like men, no spoilers though, not really - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2020-02-12
Packaged: 2020-09-24 20:16:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 24,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20364484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xylveon/pseuds/Xylveon
Summary: Izuku meekly nodded his head… after all, what else could he do? He wasn't about to argue with a Pokemon that could easily punch him into next month, possibly the next decade or even century if he wanted to, despite Toshi's soothing demeanor.✧*✫*★*✫*✧It had been a hard couple of months this last year at the Musutafu Police Station, the green haired detective's work piling up. Crime rates have been on the rise since the unexplainable and shocking disappearance 5 years ago of the number 1 Pokemon Master and Hero, commonly referred to as All Might. A few other Pokemon Masters have vanished as well since then, making things even harder on the once Pokemon-obsessed Izuku.When things seemed like it couldn't get even more lousy, a duo of Pokemon come charging into his life, bringing forth an adventure he never thought he could have. Guess it didn't matter what age you were, a Pokemon adventure could happen at anytime, whether Izuku liked it or not.





	1. The Mundane, Mystery, and Mayhem

**Author's Note:**

> Don't be deterred by Izuku's personality in the beginning. I promise that he actually is in character and it will all be fully explained in future additions, even become more like his usual bubbly self, but there are some details here and definite foreshadowing as to what his backstory was! I wonder if you will catch it~

✧*✫*★*✫*✧

The early morning sun was shining brightly through the window that looked out over the bustling city landscape of Musutafu. It was Autumn, so the light had an even more golden hue than usual, the radiance catching the many colors of the trees in the nearby park, Sawsbuck and their Deerling fawns grazing in the shade, rainbows in the mist made from the many Goldeen playing in the ponds, various Flying type birds boasting their colors and songs in an odd harmony with the occasional car horn going off and other ambiance… a perfect morning.

And yet Izuku still woke up feeling rather grumpy. Exasperated was more like it. Another night spent overworking at ridiculous hours out at the office he did most of his menial sleuthing… well, mostly just paperwork now. The young adult rolled over and out of bed, allowing himself to lethargically slip off the mattress, taking the blankets off with him in a surprisingly efficient manner, since he just rumpled them up with his nightwear before tossing it over to the hamper for laundry later. And of course, he made a perfect shot. He could only assume it came from repeatedly doing the same thing for many, many months.

Midoriya Izuku. Age 20, jokingly believed by his co-workers to have the mind of a depressive, gruff and reclusive 50 year old who never learned to relax, apparently. Ha, not his fault that he decided to be a detective and then got thrown into what was probably the worst of times for _ anyone _in his line of work with all of the criminal activity going on currently, which pretty much killed his sense of humor with all of the stress. Of course, it didn’t help at all that his co-workers constantly called him out for not having a single Pokemon in his life, let alone anyone at all, except for the two houseplants maybe?

Another thing that didn’t help his whole mood and charisma: the unexplained and beyond mysterious disappearance of the number one Pokemon Master and Hero, All Might, and now an astonishing total of 4 other champions. Sure, it had already been 5 years since the legendary champion who was seen as the ultimate hero by all just up and vanished without any leads whatsoever, along with the Pokemon Heroes, including a personal favorite Hero of Izuku’s, Eraserhead, and the number two Pokemon Hero, Endeavor, but it was the fact that it all was followed by the surge of gang violence, evil teams forming, criminal activities and the kidnappings of many, many Pokemon.

Oh, and the more personal stuff that happened weighed him down even more. It was to be expected, really. Not like he had anyone to talk to about it anymore.

A quick shower and an even quicker breakfast (if you can truly call a single cup of lukewarm coffee from last night microwaved and then a slice of cheese breakfast) was all he needed to get before he was fully dressed in a fresh pair of boxers, a still somewhat clean pair of black slacks, a wrinkled, white collared shirt, and his favorite red boots that he refused to forget at home. Hey, if he was going to be stuck in his office yet _ again _ doing the work for the other employees because they apparently couldn’t just fill out blanks on a form, he was going to be at least _ somewhat _comfortable. Nice thing was that no one tried telling him differently. They at least knew how to cut him some slack for working so hard and even respected him as the best detective in the office, though he still remained humble enough to not claim the title as best in the country. In his district, maybe… yeah, he’d give himself that. 

The dumbest part of being one of the best detectives in the district that infuriated Izuku the most though? The stupid fact that no one else knew about everything that was going on in the world. The people around him, and not, of course, the few detectives that actually did their jobs, all believed that the rise in crime around them was just a bit more violence than usual and relied on their Pokemon to protect them, not that _ that _ was necessarily a _ bad _ thing… just sucked for the few who didn’t have that same connection to the powerful creatures. Not everyone could be as strong as a Pokemon Master, not that it mattered anymore, apparently, but still.

Nor are they always given the chance… or at least a second chance… Izuku shook his head, his unkempt, messy forest green hair rustling slightly as he did so (but at least it was clean, he wasn’t a complete slob). He wouldn’t think about the past. That did nothing. He just needed to focus more on the problems he knew he was gonna have to face once he got back at the office-!!

He almost yelped and jumped in a very unflattering manner when he suddenly felt something grab onto his leg. He was more than surprised to see a little Espurr of all things clinging onto him, almost like a lost child grabbing hold of the nearest person they trusted. Izuku relaxed the moment he realized it wasn’t something that should raise worry, lowering his arms back down so that they hung at his sides, air coming back into his lungs again after noticing he had held his breath from the shock. “Oh thank goodness… you scared me-” He rather abruptly cut off. 

… an Espurr… a Psychic type known as the Restraint Pokemon. The kind of Pokemon known for having ESP abilities so powerful, it could release a blast of pure psychic energy that could level everything around it… and this little ticking time bomb waiting to happen was clinging to his _ leg _ … it was safe to say that Izuku was more than just nervous at this point. He felt his entire body go rigid as he gawked at the creature that was now _ nuzzling _ his pant leg, frantically looking left and right and all around to see if this Pokemon’s trainer was anywhere around at all, just someone to come and claim the tiny feline-esque being and put it in its Pokeball where it couldn’t have a chance to destroy something… with a shaky voice, he couldn’t help but cry out, “H-hello? Anyone around? Can someone please get their Pokemon off of me?” 

Had there been any reason for a tumbleweed to even be in town, it would have been a perfect time for it to come rolling down the back walkway he always walked on his route to work. No one was around at all. It made no sense, well, almost no sense! “Espurr aren’t native to Japan, They’re native to Europe, especially France! Unless you ran away from a foreign touring trainer, there’s basically no reason as to why you’d even be here!” He stopped himself from rambling as he looked down at the oddly affectionate Pokemon that was barely a foot in height. He grumbled, “Why are you even doing that? Aren’t you supposed to be a shy species?” He heard himself make a small sound of surprise when the Espurr looked up at him with rather striking ruby colored eyes, which was definitely a shock to him. Weren’t… Espurr eyes normally more of a lilac tone? Well, it wasn’t unheard of to find a Pokemon with slight differences in appearance. Still though, it was a bit odd… let alone with how this particular Espurr seemed so smitten with clinging to _ him _ of all people. He groaned out loud, breaking eye contact with those gleaming hues to try and recover his own resolve, though he did whine slightly, “I’m going to be laaate…” He couldn’t piss off the Psychic type, for fear of it doing something awful with that insane amount of power, but he tried to steel his nerves anyways and huffed, frowning at the small Pokemon, “Hey, you need to get off of my leg! I know you can understand me better than the average Pokemon, since you’re a psychic type! Can you please let go of me? I can’t play right now!”

He immediately felt his breath hitch when the Espurr not only pouted with adorable, baby doll eyes, one hundred percent convinced that it was definitely using the Fairy type move against him despite him knowing Espurr didn't have access to learning that move by any means, but also proceeded to climb up his leg and onto his back… damn… he _ knew _ that it must have been painfully obvious that he couldn’t say no to _ that _ … oh… something told him that maybe the Espurr hadn’t actually used the move after all… that little punk knew what it was doing even without the aid of moves, making him break…! The feeling of the Espurr happily placing its chin onto his shoulder just as he was about to turn his head and tell it to get off of him made him feel something almost warm him up on the inside, something he was thrown for a loop. Seeing how content the little _ girl _ was, now that he saw her up close from the corner of his eye, he couldn’t bring himself to tell her to get off of his back. Stubbornly, he gave a tired sigh and grumbled, “Fine…” making it clear that she could tag along. It wasn’t worth being late for work over… or risk her blowing him up with a mind attack.

✧*✫*★*✫*✧

Izuku sighed when everyone in the office reacted to the small Restraint Pokemon riding on his shoulder. “Guys, come on! She’s not even my Pokemon! She just decided to tag along and now won’t leave me alone!”

Hitoshi, Izuku's closest friend and partner detective with his Purrloin at his heels, scoffed loudly as he crossed his arms, “Sure… you know, you don’t always have to battle and then use a Pokeball to capture a Pokemon, Midoriya. Maybe this Espurr just decided to choose you for the sake of doing so. You’re not exactly a horrible person.”

“Shinso-san is right!" bubbled the slightly eccentric cop, Pony, her two horse like Pokemon, Ponyta and Mudbray, both prancing slightly in joint to her excitement. "You finally have a Pokemon partner! Oooh! I'm so excited for you!" 

Midoriya rolled his eyes and shook his head, "No, she's not my partner! I'm going to go fill out a missing Pokemon form and get her back to her trainer. She's a Psychic type, so maybe she figured it out on her own who to go to!" He desperately tried (and failed) to ignore the Espurr that was now nuzzling his neck gently with the side of her cheek. She had been a bit nervous around the other adults, clinging to him more to his dismay, so now she was consoling herself by getting cozier on Midoriya's back.

The purple haired male, with messy locks that rivaled Izuku's own mop in unruliness, rolled his equally purple irises, groaning loudly, "Yeah, a reclusive detective instead of social services or an actual cop like Pony for example, who is also charismatic and good with kids, which includes young Pokemon." 

Izuku flinched a bit, feeling that to be a jab at him in a slightly more personal way than usual. "Hey…" He then rubbed the back of his head, though he quickly stopped before the Espurr could try nuzzling into his hand and beg for petting. "I'm not bad with kids. I just… don't see them usually in my daily line of work. I'm a detective that deals with things like thugs, drugs and the extremely occasional homicide. Pony goes to the schools and talks to kids frequently." 

Pony held her finger to her chin with a slight tilt to her head, confusion slightly showing, "Yeah… I don't think that's a really fair comparison, Shinso-san." She then chuckled, brightening up, "But, see? You just said so yourself, Midoriya-san! There's no reason for this little girl to _ not _ want to be around you!" 

Hitoshi shrugged, "He's still a recluse though." 

Izuku deadpanned at Hitoshi, and then gloomily walked over to his office, "I'll just go get some stuff done…" With a bit of added spite, he quickly announced, "And I'll go have lunch _ out _ today… because I'm _ not _ a recluse like some hermit, damn it-!" 

He flinched when the Espurr loudly squeaked right in his ear, as if chastising him for the harsh language… and then sighed when he heard Hitoshi laugh. "Yeah, little Espurr! You tell him to watch his mouth around little Pokemon!" 

Izuku closed the door to his office and made a slow beeline for his chair, the Espurr finally hopping off of his back and lightly onto his desk as he slumped down into his seat, groaning loudly as he did so. After a few seconds of just staying there, sprawled out on his desk chair, he finally looked over at the Espurr who just sat there on his desk, tensed as if ready to lunge over and land onto his lap at any given moment, but stayed there instead, observing him with those odd, curious ruby eyes. He made no effort to move, but a quiet, somewhat confused sounding "What?" escaped his throat, barely audible to even him. 

This made the Espurr perk a little bit, and she did something almost too human of an expression when she closed her eyes and smiled softly with a slight tilt to her head, a small huff coming from her like a slight laugh. 

A small breath left his nose in a slightly loud sigh, simply swiveling his chair so that he could face his computer screen, beginning to type out a decent description of her- "... okay, where did you move the mouse to?" He looked over at the Pokemon who had clearly moved the computer mouse with her telekinetic powers. The little rascal was caught red handed, Izuku being just barely able to see her cover her little eye like organs, where her powers derived from, completely with her ears. "Hey, this isn't funny. I need my mouse to interact with the computer. You need to find your trainer and-!" 

The little ball of lilac fluff jumped over onto his lap, immediately gripping onto his torso in a small, endearing hug, a small wave of energy leaving from under her ears. But what startled Izuku more than anything was what the little Espurr _ said _next… "O-oniisama… I want to stay with oniisama…" 

Izuku turned completely pallid, rising shock growing on his face as he gawked at the little Espurr that had just _ spoken _ to him. Slight warbling sounds of nervousness escaped his throat as he tensed up, unable to process what had just happened. When the little female squeaked out, "Oniisama…?" he yelped. In a panicky motion, he flailed and fumbled out of his chair, falling onto the floor, the Espurr making a small sound of discomfort when she landed on the floor as well. He scrambled backwards a bit, but was a bit too discombobulated to actually manage to get farther away. 

The Espurr sat up, looking more than displeased with his reaction. She puffed out her cheeks in a pouting manner, which, oddly enough, made Izuku stop and relax ever so slightly. So maybe he wasn't crazy… it only was confirmed when the Espurr stood up and crossed her arms, whining, "Oniisama! You're so weird! Why did you fling us both off of the chair? You big dummy!" 

He winced, but he couldn't help but agree with her on that note… his hip hurt from where he made the most painful impact. He dejectedly retorted, "H-hey!! It's not my fault you scared the crap out of me!! You're _ talking _ !!" He almost was too frazzled to notice how happy that made her look. He paused and then grumbled, "Why are _ you _ so happy??"

He squeaked when the Espurr leapt over to him with a bright smile, cheering, "Oniisama can hear me!!" She hugged him right on his face, her fur tickling his cheeks and nose. 

Izuku deadpanned for a moment before prying her off of his face, holding her away as he sat up. "Okay, knock it off…" He huffed, now feeling more exhausted than before. "How did this happen…?" He groaned rather pitifully, at least now being able to accept this new truth, that he could hear the little Espurr who was now giggling with glee. 

"Let's go get Ojisan! We need to go get him!" She waved her small arms happily, not minding the way Izuku held her away. 

He raised an eyebrow, confused by how excited the little girl was, and asked, "Wait, who?" It then dawned on him who she could possibly be meaning, "Oh! Is that your trainer?"

The Pokemon tilted her head, blinking a bit, "Um… yeah? He did teach me a lot… I guess Ojisan is kinda like my trainer then!" 

Izuku sighed happily, relief flooding him, "Oh thank goodness… I don't have to be stuck with-" He then paused, not wanting to be that mean to her (she was just a little kid!) and recovered, "- having to listen to Pokemon! Yeah, I don't want to be hearing every Pokemon! I don't even know what you _ did _ to me yet…" He then monotoned, "O-or, better yet… don't tell me. I don't think I really want to know…" 

The little Pokemon giggled, rubbing his scarred right hand, "Oniisama, you won't hear _ every _ Pokemon! You're so silly!" She then tried to wiggle out of his hold, making a rather decent attempt at that. "Ojisan can explain better than I can!"

He sighed, knowing that she wanted to go on his shoulder yet again. "Okay, okay… I'll go out and find your Ojisan." He stood up as he dragged a hand down his face, a lethargic groan slipping through… "… so what do I call you, then?" He looked over his shoulder at her, deadpanning as she yet again began to nuzzle him in his hair. 

She lit up and answered eagerly, "Eri! You can call me Eri-chan! Ojisan calls me Young Eri though… super goofy." 

Izuku opened up his office door and chuckled a bit dryly, "Seems like an uncle thing to do…!" 

"Midoriya?" Hitoshi was in the hallway, looking like he was just about to go into his own office. "Leaving already? It's a bit early for that…" 

Izuku went wide eyed and then played it off to the best of his ability, "O-oh! I, uh, got a lead as to who this little Espurr belongs to! She responds to Eri-chan, just like the post said, so I'm going to go check it out! Maybe walk for a bit afterwards…" 

Eri lit up excitedly, "Can we go through the park after we find Ojisan?" She bubbled with excitement, patting his shoulder in an overly adorable manner. 

Izuku sighed, quietly hushing her with a finger held to his mouth in the sushing pose, relieved she at least obeyed to that… "What?" 

Hitoshi had chuckled and gave Midoriya a thumbs up, "I think you may have confused her and given her a name yourself. A Pokemon doesn't normally follow another trainer's orders like that. You're already doing a great job. Look how happy she is, and it's really cute how you let her play with your hair."

The green haired boy felt his eyebrow twitch from agitation. The way his friend talked about Eri made it seem like he had unintentionally adopted a human girl instead of just having a random Pokemon cling to him… actually… it kinda felt that way, now that Eri was talking to him and calling him older brother for some reason.

✧*✫*★*✫*✧

Eri had decided to migrate a bit higher up, now draping over Izuku's head, tucking into his super soft, evergreen hair. The detective only managed to ignore it because he was too busy trying to figure out how in the world she made him able to understand her! And true to her word, he didn't hear any of the other Pokemon passing by them, only her. 

Speaking of which… "Niichan!" Eri cooed, now patting his forehead with her little paws, "Can we get some cupcakes? Or ice cream?" 

Izuku, struggling to ignore how she began to call him the even closer "Niichan" nickname, shook his head, brushing her paws away, "No, Eri-chan. I'm going to find your trainer first." He didn't care about the people giving him odd looks at how he spoke to the Pokemon on his head. What? Was it because he was being obvious with how he could understand her? Was it the part about him audibly saying he wasn't her trainer, despite how comfortable she was with him? Whatever, it wasn't the first time that he was gawked at like this, that's for sure-!

"Niichan!! Look out!!" 

Izuku barely had time to react to Eri-chan's outcry, when he looked up and suddenly got yanked backwards, n-no, back and _ upwards _ , out of the way of a colorful blur shooting out of the alleyway. Izuku frantically flailed his arms, just to realize that he was enveloped in a soft pink glow… it didn't take long for him to realize that this was somehow Eri's doing. Once he let out a sigh of relief, he looked back to discover that a shockingly _ yellow _ Lucario had bolted in front of him, chased after by a blur of almost black, deep blue with a streak of red, a Weavile, its claws being brandished in a fashion that boasted its desire to take down the shiny Aura Pokemon. 

What immediately caught Izuku's attention, however, was the Lucario _ shouting _ at the malicious antagonist. "Hey, hey, hey!! I'm getting tired of this!! Leave me alone already before I knock you into tomorrow!!" The Lucario leapt again out of the way of the Weavile's brutal advances, nonchalantly sighing, "Seriously? You _ do _ realize that I have a serious advantage over you…!"

"Ojisan!!" Eri perked up excitedly, bobbing up and down against Izuku's head like an eager child. 

The realization hit the detective hard… so Ojisan was _ also _ a Pokemon… figures. "Great… another talking Pokemon…" Izuku could only grimace stubbornly when Eri-chan gave him a peppy, affirmative yup in response, as she finally levitated the both of them safely back down to the sidewalk. He then looked back over at the two who were causing a bit of mayhem in the park, people and their Pokemon startled by the unexpected violence being displayed. Izuku would be lying if he said that he wasn't the slightest bit worried, even if Lucario are known for being powerful, much like one of All Might's partner Pokemon. "Shouldn't we, I don't know, _ help _?" He inquired from the little girl Pokemon on his head. 

Eri simply shook her head. "Ojisan wouldn't want us to get in the way. He just doesn't want to seriously hurt the mean Weavile, though he's probably going to. Even his weakest punch would be too much for it." 

The detective looked up, a new understanding of the situation helping him relax a bit, but he still began to follow loosely behind, just to keep the two in eyesight. The more he watched, the more he realized just how much of a disadvantage the Weavile was at… Ojisan moved with such grace and precision that was even more than what was typically expected of a normal Lucario… the kind of skill gained from veteran like experience. It was awe inspiring to see just how lithe the shiny Lucario was in all of his evasive movements.

Izuku immediately noticed the exact moment Ojisan decided to finally go on the offensive, the Lucario's footing changing just ever so slightly, before the canine yelled, "Fine! Have it your way, then!" Like a blur, he went in up close to the Weavile, the speedy Dark Ice type stunned with how much _ faster _ the other was. With a single palm placed on the chest of the Weavile, Ojisan suddenly surged with energy, a gust of wind expanding from the impact while launching the antagonist, rocketing backwards with insane velocity before crashing into a tree, completely ko'ed even before the impact. 

The Lucario stood up straight in a single, slow and fluid movement, before suddenly snapping into a fighting stance as if to expel some of the leftover energy from the single attack, much like a master martial artist after a match. Izuku gawked when he could see the sheer restrained force cause a slight burst of air yet again from the Pokemon's arms… that single, terrifying blow done on the Weavile _ was _Ojisan holding back!

"W-w-woah…" The male couldn't believe what his bright green eyes were showing him, his voice cracking slightly into a higher pitch. That sort of skill in a Pokemon was only seen in championship battles! Maybe on the same league as legendary Pokemon! He couldn't even care that Eri-chan was giggling at his reaction to the single attack.

The Lucario's ear twitched at the Espurr's giggle, whirling around to face the source of the sound. Ojisan's eyes widened in speechless shock, looking like a parent who had just found their lost child. His blue irises glistened as he shakingly called out, "Y-Young Eri…?" His feet started to move slowly at first, but then he began to full out run over to the two. "Eri!!" 

Eri looked up and she smiled brightly, tears escaping from the sides of her eyes. She leapt off of Izuku's head, her arms extended out as she cried out, "Ojisan!!" 

Izuku watched as the Lucario effortlessly caught Eri-chan in his big paws, carefully bringing her towards the side of his chest so that she wouldn't hit his chest spike. The Espurr gratefully tucked her face into his neck as the Lucario cooed in a soft voice, "I thought I wasn't going to see you again soon… I'm so happy you stayed safe…" 

The scene of the Lucario cradling the Espurr close made the human adult's heart clench-! Izuku frantically wiped away any tears that would have fallen, not wanting to ruin the two reuniting Pokemons' moment, but Ojisan had looked up at him, worry lacing the Pokemon's voice, "Young Eri, who is this…?"

Eri looked up at Izuku and smiled, "Niichan! Midoriya Izuku!" She teased one of the Lucario's sensory appendages at the back of his head, "He's a detective, is super nice despite being grumpy, and he's going to help us!" 

Izuku went wide eyed and squeaked out, "W-wait, what?? N-no no no!! I only agreed to helping you find your trainer!!" He waved his hands, not wanting to be stuck now with _ two _ talking Pokemon that would really get in the way of his work… speaking of which, the office was probably wondering what the heck happened to him-

"… Young Eri… did he just…?" The Lucario gawked at the human almost as much as Izuku had gawked at Ojisan's attack. Eri's giggles only made the Lucario even more anxious, loudly begging, "Young Eri, _ please _ tell me you didn't do it! You weren't supposed to actually try using your Confide on someone!" 

"W-wait, _ what _!? What about Confide!?" Izuku's confused and concerned outcry was ignored as Eri merely looked down sheepishly, poking her little paws together, "I sensed that he had a good heart! He can help us… especially you, Ojisan…" 

The Lucario's breath hitched a bit, crumpling under the endearing nature of the little Espurr. He brought a paw up to his snout, effectively mimicking the motion of dragging a hand down his face. He looked up at the now disheveled, male who was still trying to make sense of it all. The Lucario reached up and held onto the human's forearm in a reassuring manner, calmly speaking to Izuku, "Young Midoriya, is it? My name is Toshi. Let's go find a place to sit and talk… you'll need to hear us out." 

Izuku meekly nodded his head… after all, what else could he do? He wasn't about to argue with a Pokemon that could easily punch him into next month, possibly the next decade or even century if he wanted to, despite Toshi's soothing demeanor. He followed the older Pokemon's lead, Eri-chan yet again riding on top of him, standing on his shoulders while draping over his head. 

This was going to be a long day…

✧*✫*★*✫*✧


	2. Human and Pokeman- mon. Pokemon. Pokemon Humans… Pokehumans? No, Pokehuman… s. Yeah, Pokehumans.  Nailed it.

✧*✫*★*✫*✧

"Young Midoriya? Are you alright? You're looking a bit pale there, my boy." Toshi tried his best to console his new human companion, feeling a bit sorry for the detective. He could tell that this was all a bit much for the young adult to handle, and he hadn't even begun explaining yet. He was currently just focusing on trying to help the male calm down… feeling a bit guilty for spooking Izuku with his display of strength. Admittingly, though, he would be lying if he didn't find the boy's apparent perceptiveness and awe of Toshi's true potential strength a bit flattering. 

Eri meanwhile was enjoying her cupcake Izuku had bought her after all. She happily munched away as she sat on the young adult's lap, her love of sweets being overly obvious with how she beamed with glee. 

Izuku was nibbling on a cookie himself, when he jolted a bit at the unexpected question… well, to be fair, he should have expected it. Toshi was clearly the caring type, seeing as how he was like a fatherly "uncle" to Eri. He could tell that he really did look like he had seen a terrifying Ghost type, so he did his best to reassure Toshi, "Y-yeah! I'm fine! Really-"

Eri giggled, "Niichan is bad at lying-!" She squealed out loud when Izuku grumbled at the little Espurr and started to tickle her sides. An irk mark was showing on the side of Izuku's forehead as he muttered, "I thought I told you to stop doing that…"

Toshi sighed softly, unable to decide if the scene was cute or exasperating… or both. He could already tell he had somehow managed to adopt yet another kid into his life, even if Young Midoriya was 20… which reminded him of something. "You know, you're still very young. The fact that you are one of the top, if not thee best detective in the country… it's simply outstanding."

Izuku looked up from the Espurr he was now petting, despite still feeling a bit peeved with her (he honestly didn't know why he couldn't help himself, she was just too adorable even without the Cute Charm ability), and he blinked a bit from astonishment, "Wait, you know about that?" Almost immediately, he deadpanned before glancing a bit grumpily at Eri again, "Did she read my mind again and tell you that?"

Toshi chuckled, ever so slightly in a dry manner, "Heh, no… in fact, your name was one of the few that rung any bells for me recently. I know I've heard about you before in the last year…" he trailed off, his tone becoming dull, somewhat grim. "I believe it was because of the searches for the missing Pokemon Masters began to die down and you announced that you refused to close the multiple cases." He paused for a moment, not wanting to overwhelm the boy, before continuing, "That was right after when I escaped that facility with Eri, along with a few others. We all were separated, going in different directions to avoid getting recaptured together, though I am rather certain we all made it. Those other Pokemon… er, Pokemen? Pokehumans…" He shook his head, grumbling as Eri struggled not to crack a smile, "Oh, for goodness sakes, the other human-turned-Pokemon… they were rather skilled as well… speaking of which, we were all rather surprised with ourselves! For having little to no memories, we sure knew how to battle." 

"… you… lost your memories?" Izuku quietly questioned Toshi, but then it struck him. He immediately began to sputter out, "W-W-WAIT A MINUTE, HUMAN-!?" He squeaked, cutting short his sporadic reaction, as to not draw attention from anyone else in the park, though he was clearly having something akin to a mental breakdown.

Toshi didn't even seem perturbed by Izuku's reaction, as he did have a reason to freak out. "Yep. It is definitely a surprise… the revelation was more than a bit daunting to all of us as well." He looked down at Eri-chan, "Young Eri was the only one of us with her memories. She told us all that we weren't Pokemon."

Izuku, having given the Espurr what was left of his cookie without much thought about it, began to mumble, "That's… terrible… getting turned into Pokemon? Why would… someone do that? How… and your memories…" The short backstory was just awful, and it was obviously skipping the time between the escape and their meeting. It all made him rumble lowly with a growling sort of groan, anger, grief, and so many more sympathetic emotions seeping into his mood, but only for a brief moment, as there was nothing that could be done by simply feeling distraught over something out of his control, obviously. He instead tried to brush past the flurry of emotions, needing answers instead. "And that Weavile… he was one of the Pokemon from that facility trying to capture you, wasn't he?"

Toshi lit up ever so slightly with a comedic huff, "Ha, that Pokemon? Nah, that was just some pathetic thug's partner. Wanted to capture me due to my shiny status, but couldn't even bother following after his partner to ensure the Weavile was doing alright. Even the best Poke Heros stay by their Pokemon's side to give moral support if nothing more!" That last statement made him stop again and he grew a bit melancholic, "I don't even know why I know that… but I still believe it with everything I have left, just like how I believe Toshi is close to whatever my true name is, and with it, my identity…" 

Izuku watched as the Lucario grasped onto his pendant, something Izuku hadn't noticed before during the skirmish. A little crystal sphere, orange with a red and blue swirl in the center, glowed ever so slightly with an ethereal effect… "That's a megastone, isn't it?" Izuku couldn't help but gawk at it, seeing as how they were usually hard to come by.

Toshi met Izuku's eyes and nodded, "Yes, it is. I've had it since the moment I woke up in that place… which could mean that I wasn't just turned into some Pokemon, but somehow fused with a pre-existing Lucario…" He then sighed, "The longer I thought about it, the more I came to the conclusion that it was one of my own partners. Why else would I have a Lucarionite on me?" He then looked down at the little Espurr, "But what is even more confusing, is Young Eri."

Izuku quirked his brow, and looked down at her, "What do you mean?" Eri looked up and smiled, though it wasn't one of her cheerier ones that lit up her face. Rather, it looked solemn, which only broke his heart to pieces without giving him any warning, his breath audibly hitching.

The yellow Pokemon sighed, "Not only does she remember all of her memories, but she was directly transformed into a  _ Pokehuman _ …" He sighed and nodded to himself, finally deciding what sounded better, before continuing, "She was the facility's first experiment. I was their second target, but apparently was a failed experiment." He couldn't help but let out a low growl, his sharp teeth slightly bared, "Hearing those scientists refer to me as that for all those years was infuriating… and yet they had the audacity to put me up against the others in fights because I was still the strongest, watching the other's progress and strengths." He broke eye contact, his gaze drifting down to the ground at his side, "Maybe… it's because I, unlike the others, still had traces of my past with me. The others had almost nothing from their pasts, except what was probably their pre-existing personalities… I was made the de facto leader due to that, though…" There was ever just the slightest bit of wavering in Toshi's voice, "And now I don't even know for sure if they are alright on their own, except maybe Luxray-"

"Ojisan…" Eri-chan softly cooed, having gotten up and gone over to the older Pokehuman. She climbed up onto Toshi's lap, the Lucario wordlessly accepting her cuddles with a gentle hug of his own. "The others will be fine! We just need to believe in them!" 

Toshi visibly cheered up, chortling a bit as he ruffled the little girl's fur on her head, earning a few squeals of delight from her. "Since when did you start quoting me and using my own words against me?" 

Izuku found himself smiling at the two comforting each other, the exchange making the grim atmosphere from just mere seconds ago all but vanish… though there was still a sour note that ebbed on in the back of the boy's mind, tainting his mood ever so slightly. But he ignored it to the best of his ability, not wanting to ruin their touching moment, though his smile did seem to begin to waver, just a tiny bit.

However, business was still needed to be addressed, so Toshi turned to Izuku, his tone becoming firm yet again. "Young Midoriya… now you know of our past- or rather, what's left of it… and seeing as how Eri specifically chose  _ you _ to hear us and is determined that you are trustworthy, I am going to trust her clairvoyant judgement and ask if you would join us in this journey to find our friends."

Had he been drinking something, Izuku would have done a massive spit take… or choke. Probably both, because that was a total shock to him. He sputtered a bit as he cried out, "W-wait, wh-what?? Go  _ with _ you?? Wh-where??" He shook his head, his green locks getting carelessly tossed around even worse. "N-nononono, no! I-I… I can't just up and leave here! That's insane! I can't go… you know, out on some crazy Pokemon-  _ Pokehuman _ adventure!" He stood up, feeling somewhat dizzy, unable to process what they were expecting of him for some unknown reason, other than Eri's apparent clairvoyance… speaking of which, "W-wait… what do you  _ mean _ by that?? Why… what's so special about Eri-chan's…  _ clairvoyant judgement _ ?" 

Toshi smiled a bit lopsided as he stood up, his sarcasm getting the better of him in that instant. "What? Do you think we escaped on some random day with dumb luck? Or that she and I were lucky enough to not trust just anyone out on the street with our secret and stay clear of those facility members?" He shook his head, chuckling a little bit. "No, Young Midoriya. Young Eri here has many gifts, some of which are almost unexplainable, even by Pokemon standards."

Izuku knew Toshi was 100% confident in this, it was more than obvious with that level of conviction in his voice, so the human sighed in defeat. "Okay… fine, so she apparently saw something in me…" He then slumped a bit, grumbling as he threw dignity to the wind. "But… give me some time… I need more time to think this over." 

Toshi nodded as he rubbed Eri's head gently, "Of course, Young Midoriya. The choice is still completely up to you, though I do hope you at least try to consider it… having a skilled detective and compassionate partner at our side will be more than just a benefit to us and our friends, my boy."

He didn't know why, but Toshi's brief mention of his compassion made Izuku smile, just a little bit, but it still struck him in a way that managed to just… brighten his mood up. He sighed, rubbing his head a bit before attempting to get away from anymore awkward feelings from unexpected praise. "So… little Eri-chan? You have quite the array of talents, don't you?"

As the little Espurr giggled giddily, Toshi patted her head, "She truly is a marvel, human  _ and _ otherwise… such as her ability to use Extrasensory without being the evolved form, Meowstic, let alone how powerful it is…" he then pawed at his chin, looking thoughtful, with just the slightest hint of nervousness, "Her Psyshock is also a bit intimidating, if I'm being totally honest… and you already know how powerful her Confide is and its effects…"

Before Izuku could respond to the new information of the unexpectedly powerful little girl, Eri wailed a bit, waving her short arms around in a fit, "Why are you making it sound like I'm scary, Ojisan?? I'm not that scary!!" She then crossed her arms with a curt pout adorn on her face, her cheeks puffed out in agitation.

Izuku and Toshi both looked down at her, simultaneously thinking the same thing… she was too adorable to be truly intimidating, and both agreed on it without having to say anything to each other. 

✧*✫*★*✫*✧

Izuku remained silent with a slightly peeved look when Hitoshi scrutinized him and the now  _ two _ Pokemon following him closely, the Espurr up again on the green haired adult's head while the shiny Lucario stood by Izuku's side like they had been companions for awhile. 

"… do I even want to ask?" Hitoshi plainly asked as he quirked his eyebrow, struggling not to crack a smile. His Purrloin was currently nowhere to be seen, so Izuku could only assume she was in Shinso's office taking a catnap, which was probably a good thing, seeing as how Feral would get jealous of Toshi. It was painfully obvious Shinso was enamored with the Lucario before him… goodness knows what Feral would have done, the little prankster.

"No." Izuku answered rather quickly, though it would make it a whole lot easier being curt instead of trying to come up with a narrative that didn't include the fact that he could converse with the two and that they both decided to hang around him until he gave them his answer… which he was desperately trying  _ not _ to think about… not just yet, at least. 

But he  _ did _ give Shinso at least something to work with, so that he wouldn't get too nosy, knowing his purple haired friend all too well at this point in their partnership. "I'm letting them stay with me until I figure out who their respective owners are-"

"So that lead was a bust, then?" Hitoshi questioned, as he was trying to see if Toshi would accept a gentle pat to his head, presenting his hand with an open palm for the Lucario to scent first. Obviously, unbeknownst to him, Toshi was a bit reluctant to be treated like an  _ actual _ Pokemon, so the Lucario edged away from the extended hand, unable to completely hide his disdain towards the gesture. Hitoshi laughed a bit awkwardly as he respectfully drew his hand back, rubbing the back of his head, "A-ha… guess he isn't one for much contact, then… much less from a stranger. Smart Pokemon." He then muttered something about how it was funny that the Pokemon's name was similar to his own name, the only difference being that his had the added "Hi" in front.

Izuku, having briefly forgotten about his fib from earlier, internally sighed a breath of relief, thankful for the distraction… quietly thankful that he normally called Hitoshi by his last name, as Hitoshi did by calling him Midoriya. Less of a chance of confusing Hitoshi and Toshi's names. He nodded in agreement, chuckling as he ad libbed on the spot, "Nah, he's just overly cautious. Come on, Toshi… Shinso here is great with Pokemon. He won't hurt you. Actually, he loves cat and dog-like Pokemon the most! You can trust him." 

Izuku had just enough of a sly note to his voice that Toshi would catch and understand that it was obvious to the yellow Pokemon that the adult was clearly taking advantage of the situation, even without that smug aura coming off of Izuku with that glint in his eye. Toshi deadpanned at the boy, but knew this was Izuku getting back at him for "forcefully" becoming part of the detective's life currently, since he and Eri didn't have anywhere else to stay for the time being. He huffed in defeat, before scooting closer to Hitoshi to allow the other detective to pet him, Eri giggling the entire time. 

Hitoshi was a bit hesitant at first, but couldn't help himself in seizing the moment. It was a somewhat rarer dog Pokemon in front of him, after all! And the fact that he was a  _ shiny _ Lucario made it all the more special… but even then, he did his best not to go too crazy and potentially scare the already reluctant Pokemon with too much affection. "Honestly, Midoriya. Did you get honey or something on you? Pokemon are apparently getting drawn to you like Combee to a sweet smelling tree and flowers…"

Toshi blinked a bit, not used to the feeling, to be expected. It… well, it wasn't an uncomfortable feeling, that's for sure. The detective was careful to not go too close to his sensitive sensory appendages at the back of his head and focused behind his ears… damn, no wonder Pokemon liked getting their ears scratched so much, it seriously felt really good! 

Izuku grimaced at Shinso's joke, muttering, "Well… to be fair, Eri-chan is obsessed with sweets, so maybe you're onto something." He then snickered a bit, knowing that Toshi was secretly enjoying the moment. He thought mischievously to himself,  _ I'm definitely going to hold this against him… _

_Niichan, you're so mean!_ _Tee-hee!_

The hairs on the back of his neck rose slightly as he forced himself not to jump at the unexpected mental interjection from Eri-chan.  _ Eri-chan… please, give me a warning before you start  _ talking _ in my mind…  _ He then mentally deadpanned,  _ And I thought I told you to  _ stop _ reading my mind, you little Impidimp! _ He pinched the bridge of his nose when Eri began to giggle more uncontrollably, finding it a bit irritating she found his frustration with her so amusing. 

Trying to ignore her ceaseless jubilant bubbling, he directed his attention to Hitoshi… "… so what's the chances of me getting a few days off from the office in the near future?" He didn't really know why he asked that… but he had a sneaking suspicion that his own subconscious was trying to rope him into the two Pokehuman's adventure… the part of him that he thought was long since gone. Apparently, those dreams never did truly die after all.

Shinso looked up from Toshi, his desire to pet the Lucario now sated, as he finally gave the him a break. "Wait, what?" He stood up straight, crossing his arms as he chuckled, "You serious, Midoriya? You do realize you  _ already _ have the authority to go and freelance any time you want… though it's a bit weird you suddenly brought that up…" A slight smile showed up on Shinso's face. His normally holed up friend was finally starting to relax a bit.

Izuku squeaked a tiny sound, before defensively retorting, "H-hey!! It's not  _ that _ weird!!" He grumbled and shrugged it off, trudging over to his office, "Whatever. I'll be gone for a few days, then. I need to get these two to their respective owners." 

"Alright, then." Shinso snickered a bit, that iconic smirk of his upon his face, "Good luck with that." 

Izuku caught that almost condescending tone from his partner, making him turn around and glare at Shinso… but he caved to his own immaturity and mocked him, rolling his eyes slightly as he mimicked, "Eh, good luck with that, Midoriya… I totally expect you to fail and keep those two Pokemon…" He snapped a bit, grumbling with a half-lidded, cold stare, "You were totally thinking that. Don't deny it." He ignored Eri when she called him goofy, Toshi's chuckles rising up beside him. 

Shinso merely shrugged, affirming Izuku's accusation, "Yup. Wasn't gonna." He waved Izuku off before going into his own office.

Izuku scoffed once his friend disappeared behind the office door, but even through his annoyance, there was that subtle spark of enjoyment in his viridian irises-!! " **OWWW!!** " 

Luckily, Izuku had closed his door when he cried out at the Lucario's unexpected stomp to his foot. The human male grabbed his now smarting appendage, hopping on the other undamaged limb, babying his poor foot. He hissed and whined in pain for a good amount of time, Eri-chan frantically trying to calm him down, before he looked up and cried out at the now fuming Lucario. "What the Hell?? What was that for??" 

Toshi huffed, looking more than displeased with the male, almost infuriated. "Young man, you can treat me like a Pokemon partner for the sake of keeping the facade up… but don't you  _ ever _ force me into a situation like that  _ again _ …" Izuku stopped and blankly stared at the Lucario who was clearly flustered, resenting the fact that he had legitimately enjoyed the gentle caressing from Shinso. Toshi clenched his paw, shaking ever so slightly as he muttered in a dejected voice, "My pride and dignity cannot be damaged yet again… I have already suffered too much… I cannot afford to give in to even more undignified behaviorisms…" 

Izuku sat down, his throbbing foot almost completely forgotten at this point, deadpanning to Eri, "He can't be serious…" 

Eri sighed, shaking her head, "Ojisan still beats himself up for those times he behaved like a real Lucario… like how he gets super upset when he finds out he has been wagging his tail even in the tiniest movements. But, between you and me, Niichan…" She came up real close, whispering into his ear in such an adorable way, Izuku had already begun to smile from the cuteness overload, "I'm pretty sure Ojisan was already like this  _ before _ he became a Pokemon… almost like a puppy dog! He gets super goofy when he's excited!" 

The last part had been less of a whisper, but even without that, Toshi knew what she was telling Izuku. In a fit of shame, he sat in the corner of Izuku's office, a cloud of shadowy gloom overtaking him as he whimpered, "I am a disgrace…" His deep voice wavered pitifully, the scene being the epitome of miserable pouting.

Izuku sighed, standing up again, wincing a little bit at the tenderness of his foot, griping at Toshi, "Oh, quit whining, you big baby…" A chuckle betrayed him, and he rolled his eyes with a shake of his head, not believing how easily this all was making him smile… wow, he could feel the slight strain from his cheek muscles, realizing he really hadn't smiled like this in a long time, but now he could already tell he'd be doing it more often. Eri was ridiculously adorable and Toshi was a total dork! 

He patted Toshi's head after walking over to him, "Quit your sulking and help me clean up… if I'm going to go out on your insane quest across Japan, I'm not leaving my office looking like this." His eyebrow then twitched, "And please, I know you barely put even a fraction of your strength behind it, but please don't stomp on my foot again… I learned my lesson."

Toshi had looked up and smiled softly, a small "Alright… and sorry, about that…" leaving his throat, when Eri squealed in delight as she clambered up Izuku and hugged his head, crying out "Niichan!!" She was beyond jubilant that he was finally willing to help, but in her excitement, her powers went a bit out of control, making things fly around and across the room, papers flinging up into the air, writing utensils floating midair, books falling off of the bookshelves… in a single instant, the office went from mildly cluttered to complete chaos. By the time Eri realized what she was doing and stopped, it had already looked like a tornado tore through the poor office, leaving Toshi and Midoriya with blank expressions.

"O-on second thought… I think I'll just deal with this later…" Izuku barely managed to squeak out.

"A-agreed, Y-Young Midoriya…" The yellow Pokemon also managed to speak from sheer shock. 

Eri looked down, now draped over Izuku's head again, and murmured, "Sorry…" as Izuku merely covered his face with a hand, groaning out of exasperation. 

✧*✫*★*✫*✧

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still have yet to discover who the other Pokehumans will be! Thank you all so much for reading and sticking with this story! I hope to finish Chapter 3 real soon!
> 
> There are a lot of characters I hope to mention next chapter, though by the title I'm thinking of using might make it rather blatant as to who it is, so I need to come up with a better title for sure. I'll do that after I'm done writing XD


	3. Casual, Classic and Cute! A Special Mode of Transportation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting ready for a big journey is always daunting at some level. It's to be expected that one would be overwhelmed if they never been on a Pokemon journey themselves. More things are being revealed to Toshi and Eri about their new human companion, but how much Midoriya is willing to share is something that only time will tell.

✧*✫*★*✫*✧

Izuku would have never imagined that his apartment would bring so much excitement to someone's life… but then again, these two Pokehumans probably haven't been inside a  _ home _ for awhile… the thought of Eri-chan made it even more grim, seeing as how she was only a young child at the time of her transformation to start off with-

Izuku shook off the thought and sighed with a small, exasperated smile as he watched Eri frolic around his miniscule living room, before going back to gathering some of his things he believed would be of use in their not-so-little adventure. The more thought he put to  _ that _ , the more daunting the journey to come seemed… the many dangers of going out in nature, wild Pokemon, gangs, access to food and water, they'd probably have to camp outside for the most part in-between cities… and pre-teens would do this?? Granted, they had Pokemon alongside them… okay, no, that's the  _ only _ reason why it was even relatively safe for them to do that, along with the many supporting people out there watching over them, but-!

"Young Midoriya?" 

Izuku flinched, nearly dropping his water flask (also having released a rather unmanly high pitched squeal from the sudden shock, not that he'd admit to it directly). He realized now that he had been frantically grabbing things at random and rapidly going through more drawers and cabinets than what was obviously necessary, when Toshi’s voice snapped him out of his frenzy… damn. He thought he had gotten over his mild freak outs, though admittingly, this wasn't anywhere  _ near _ as bad as what he'd do back when he was 13. After calming his nerves, he looked over at the Lucario, whom of which was near the photographs framed on the wall. 

Most of the photos were dusty, Toshi noticed. Actually, many of the items around looked like they could use a good cleaning. Maybe he could help the young man clean up if they came back later from their journey… or even a little bit before, unlike the chaos they had left behind back in Izuku's office. It was unfortunate that Young Eri had yet to seize more control over the more practical aspects of her telekinetic side of her powers.

What currently struck him as a curiosity, however, was that the few photos with this one recurring woman were all perfectly maintained, not a single speck of dust on them. Judging by the way she looked like a slightly stout, older female version of the young man in the obviously older photos, the even younger Midoriya looking like he wasn’t even old enough to be in middle school, he knew it was Midoriya's mother… and judging by the lack of any other photos showing her with Midoriya in his older years, he pieced together it was his  _ late _ mother…

But right now, he was more concerned with how erratic Young Midoriya was behaving, his jumpiness only worrying the Lucario further. "Are you alright, my boy? You seem to be getting more tense by the second!" He tried to laugh it off to make it more of a playful jab, but his true concern still managed to break through… it didn't help that his aura-reading abilities made it painfully obvious to him that Midoriya was indeed suffering with inner turmoil.

Izuku was thankful that he didn’t automatically try to respond to Toshi’s inquiry, since he knew that without a doubt, his nervousness would have lead to a ridiculous voice crack… something on more than one occasion Shinso had teased him for. He forced himself to relax a little bit, doing his best to not let his embarrassment get the better of him. “Yeah… I’m fine,” the young adult waved the Pokemon off, subtly thankful for the call back to reality.

Toshi sighed and walked over to Izuku, chuckling a little bit as he patted his back, “Young Midoriya… I don’t have to be a Psychic type or able to read auras to know that wasn’t true…” He softened his approach, understanding that it wouldn’t take much to get shut out for awhile. “Are you nervous about the journey? There’s nothing to worry about! Young Eri and I managed to go an entire year under the radar, and you already made the assessment of my strength earlier, so you know I’m not just being overconfident when I say that you can trust me and even Young Eri to protect you-?”

Izuku shook his head, words spilling out without him really thinking about it for once in what seemed like a long while. “N-no… th-that’s not it… well, not directly, at least.” He took a moment, thankful Toshi wasn’t pressuring him to explain right away. He looked down and smiled just enough to express he was indeed feeling a bit better as he felt a weight begin to fall from his chest, it seemed. “I just… heh… I've never done anything like this before… go on any sort of adventure.” He shuffled over to the couch in his small living room area, not even surprised Toshi followed quietly and closely behind, sitting at a comfortable distance on the other side of the small sofa. A drawn out sigh rose from the young adult in a glum decrescendo, “I never was able to go out into the world like almost every other kid normally does. Never had a Pokemon partner either… not that any of the wild ones ever liked me, let alone other people’s. Mostly indifference. Can’t blame them though, since not many humans liked me either. It’s a miracle I met Shinso in school! He basically was the closest thing I had to a family.” A bleak, exasperated smile made its way onto Midoriya’s face as he mumbled miserably with closed eyes, “I think we both wouldn’t have made it through Yuuei Academy if it weren’t for each other… a lot of those kids in the Pokemon battling classes were  _ insane _ …” His breath hitched a bit, but he shook his head as if out of annoyance with himself. He never did officially meet any of those other students and knew better than to judge them based off of  _ one _ student in particular… "Most people ignored us, or just had abrasive attitudes towards us, so it wasn't like we were bullied by a lot of people."

“Young Midoriya… I had no idea… how awful.” Toshi couldn’t understand- no, he  _ could _ understand why, but couldn’t accept the concept as to  _ why  _ people would be so cruel to someone like Midoriya, even kind Young Shinso! The boy had said nothing more yet, so Toshi quickly added, “Don’t worry about going into the details of the past, Young Midoriya. I understand it must have been hard for you growing up…” He didn’t want to mention Izuku’s lack of having a family at home to go to, so he left it at that… something else nagging him at the back of his mind.

Eri-chan had walked up to the two, no longer exploring around Izuku's home after having felt the atmosphere change to a more heavy tone. She wanted to see if she could help alleviate it, and with a small pat to his knee, questioned the green haired young adult, “Niichan? Are you and Ojisan alright?”

Izuku looked down and immediately began to feel the weight on his chest drop off completely as he smiled down at the Espurr that had effortlessly made a spot for herself in his heart. “Oh, yeah. We’re fine, Eri-chan.” She didn’t even need to make a grabbing gesture up at him for him to know that she wanted to be picked up again for a bit of cuddling, shamelessly admitting to himself that she totally had him wrapped around her little paw… her giggling only reassuring his observation-? “What was that?”

The Lucario had mumbled something, only to repeat it to himself again a few times, trying to figure out the word, “... Yuuei…” Toshi closed his eyes, Izuku knowing that it wasn’t from reminiscing, rather attempting to recall  _ anything _ . “It… it sounds familiar-!! Oh!! That’s right!!” Toshi brought his fist down on an open palm, looking proud of himself for piecing together some of those fogged out puzzle pieces in his mind. “I know that academy! It’s really famous in Japan!” He went wide eyed and immediately lit up in excitement, “Wait a minute, Young Midoriya! You’re saying that you managed to get into one of the best academies in Japan!? Seriously, kid?? That’s incredible!!” It was impossible to mistake that glimmer in Toshi’s eyes as anything other than admiration, “It only makes sense, though! What, with you being the best detective out there? Come on, my boy! Give yourself some more credit!”

Izuku flinched a bit at first, Toshi's excitement being a rather sudden curve ball. He squeaked a little as he managed to get out, "I-I'm just surprised you actually remembered something…" He then shook his head, "But no, I get it. Yeah, I managed to get through those years at Yuuei, but it wasn't like I was in the classes that the school is more famous for. People forget it isn't just about the Trainer courses…" He leaned back, letting Eri lean up against his belly, using him as a seat. "But then again, who can blame them? Especially when many of the great Pokemon Heroes are alumni from that school." 

Toshi caught the note of sour irony behind the detective's voice. Why would Izuku say it like that? Well, it should be obvious, shouldn't it? With a slight smirk, Toshi asked, more like a statement, "You wanted to be a Pokemon Hero as a kid, didn't you?" The boy's sudden rigidness and sound of embarrassed shock spoke the truth for him. Toshi chuckled and patted Midoriya's shoulder, "It's understandable, my boy. Even if it didn't pan out the way you wanted it to, you still stuck with what parts of your dream you still could. That's very admirable, let alone how you excelled in what you decided to do, Mr Top Detective in Japan." 

"Yeah!! Niichan is so cool!!" Eri bubbled, hugging Izuku's forearm that had been lightly draped over her lap. "You're still a hero, even if it's not the same like everyone else! You still help many people, along with Shin-chan!" Her ruby eyes widened before bouncing slightly on his lap, "Shin-chan should come too!! He can help you, Niichan!!"

Izuku almost didn't know who she meant by that, but it clicked in his mind the moment he questioned it. He looked at her incredulously, quietly mumbling "How are you already clinging onto him too-" His eyes widened as he frantically realized something, before turning Eri around, gently having a firm grasp on her tiny shoulders (well, his rather big hands practically engulfed her entire body). He had to will himself not to raise his voice to a higher octave from the flurry of panicked emotions and fears banging against the confines of his mind, as he gave a little plea to the tiny Espurr, "E-Eri-chan… I beg of you… p-please don't use your C-Confide on anyone else…" 

Toshi himself also picked up on what Midoriya was fearing… the Lucario becoming pale as well as the young adult currently was. "Th-that's… definitely a good thing to keep in mind. It would be unwise to let anyone else know our secret…" Young Midoriya sure did have a lot of good points to make, the Lucario starting to wonder if it was from years of detective experience, or if it was just part of the young man's personality.

Eri blinked a bit, before cracking into a fit of giggles, "Niichan, Ojisan! I wasn't going to do that! Niichan is enough for talking to!" 

The boy and Lucario both had heavy sighs of relief. At least the little girl was thinking things through too. Her somewhat uncanny intelligence was most definitely a blessing.

Toshi did his best to lighten up his tone once the initial scare passed, but it still wavered just enough to be noticed, "Yes, thank you, Young Eri… and he most definitely is. Young Midoriya is enough… more than enough, in all honesty." A twinge of mild agitation caused his eye to twitch, almost too subtle for even the detective to catch, since the whole ordeal of Eri doing that to Izuku was still new and the repercussions were yet to be discovered… Toshi quickly changed the topic on his own for his own sake, "Let's just… get ready for the journey ahead. Young Midoriya?" He gestured with an extending arm and open palm in an "after you" like manner. 

Izuku nodded and stood up, now propping Eri up in the hold of his left arm as he began to organize what he had grabbed, sorting out the things they  _ actually _ might need verses the random items he had unintentionally snagged during his frenzy from just a few moments prior… and with each horribly random thing he set back in the drawers, he felt a stab to his dignity and himself dying a little on the inside. 

Toshi meanwhile struggled not to show any signs of amusement, since he genuinely _did_ sympathize with Young Midoriya… it was just too comedic in his opinion every time the young adult cringed at whatever oddity he put away- he failed and let out a series of poorly suppressed chuckles when the boy in question, with a high pitched, broken voice, whined to no one in particular, "H-how… what was I… _why_ _a plate_…?"

Izuku groaned with his free hand dragging down his face as shame loomed over him when both Eri and Toshi started to break into a jeering fit of giggles and chortling chuckles. 

✧*✫*★*✫*✧

It was dark in the garage, not that it was something unexpected. It wasn't even shocking that the dust coating the shelves and trinkets was so thick, that everything was basically an offshade of grey, save the one strange shape at the center, the tarp relatively clean… it would be fair to say that it was spotless when compared to the majority of the roof, including the walls. 

Toshi couldn't even bring himself to sigh, his eye lids set low with lack of amusement. "Young man… I believe this calls for a professional level cleaning. It would be hazardous to spend even a minute in here…" He shook his head, his voice raising a bit as he stressed, "How did you even manage to get it  _ this _ bad??" He took cautious steps forwards, his paw covering his snout to avoid breathing in the awful amount of particles. 

Izuku merely rolled his eyes, trudging through the room without paying heed to the staleness in the air. "Oh, quit complaining. I already warned you about it." Indeed, he had already explained to Eri why she had to wait outside instead of wandering into the garage, though the poor air quality wasn't the only reason. The abandoned power tools, equipment and carefully stacked boxes were obvious examples as to why he had her out on the other side of the garage door. 

He knew the yellow Pokehuman would begin to pester him about why he apparently shunned the very existence of the garage, be it out loud or guilt trip him, intentionally or not, so the detective scratched the back of his neck once he grabbed a pair of keys hanging on a hook over the workbench. "The stuff in here… it's just… really painful, sometimes. It's bad enough that I have to take this baby out twice a week…" He said as he went over to the tarp covered figure, grunting a bit as he lifted up and flipped the tarp over, revealing a stunning sight.

Even in the dim lighting coming from the afternoon Sun's light through the dirty window, a beautiful, teal and white colored motorbike stood in absolute pristine condition. A custom 90's Harley-Davidson with a side carriage at the right hand side, a tale-tell sign that it was straight from America. The paint had a slight speckled sparkle to it, the steel shining with a perfect polished finish, the leather obviously used but not worn out… it took the Lucario's breath away. 

The Pokehuman in question was completely speechless, almost too bewildered to even react when Izuku made the garage's automatic door open up, the young adult simply shrugging it off, "I have to ride the bike around to make sure the engine stays running, or that the piping stays unclogged or whatever. I can't remember the reasoning. I just do it…" He shrugged his shoulders again after sticking his hands into his coat pockets, "It's casual enough. Most people don't look twice." He huffed, a hollow chuckle escaping his lips, "Might as well take care of the only gift I ever got from my father, let alone my only mode of vehicular transportation… my normal bicycle got… demolished." He released his right hand from its pocket to scratch at his cheek with a sheepish smile, bashfully mumbling, "Pokemon really just don't like me much…" 

Toshi, once out of his awe-stricken stupor, quietly mumbled, "Why does that already not surprise me…" before shaking his head, cheerfully praising the bike, "But no, this beautiful looking motorcycle? Young Midoriya, this is anything  _ but _ casual! It's a classic American choice!"

Izuku immediately gained a concern expression the moment it dawned on him that Toshi recognized its American origins just by looking at it, but right when he was about to question yet another oddity regarding the Lucario's seemingly random left over knowledge, an excited squeal sounded off.

" _ Wooooooah _ !! It's  _ soooo _ cuuute!!" The energetic ball of purple fluff was bouncing around on her tiny legs, eagerness overflowing from the Espurr. Eri-chan wanted desperately to just go over and climb in, but she remained outside, her desire to be obedient thankfully outweighing her temptations. Still, Eri still bubbled, "Niichan, Niichan, are we riding that!? I want to go in the seat right there, right in the front!!"

Immediately, Izuku decided with absolutely no hesitation that if anything were to happen to Eri, he'd hunt down whoever was responsible and… well, he didn't want to get into the details just yet, especially since the little mind reader was right there. Instead, he smiled and nodded his head, "Of course, Eri-chan. You'll sit right in front of Toshi, okay?" He then paused, concern for a certain issue dawning on him, "Oh… we need to go to the store. I need to grab helmets for you two… though it might be hard, since I'm not sure if that would be comfortable for either of you due to your ears, especially considering Eri's psychic organs, and I'm not sure if-"

Toshi, in order to halt the detective's prattling before it became overwhelming, patted the young adult's forearm with a chuckle, "Young Midoriya, calm down. Don't Pokemon usually go helmet-less, anyways? We- er,  _ they _ can take hits that humans couldn't ever dream to take… and I'm more than positive that Young Eri would manage to stop us from crashing, or at least, stop us from getting hurt. That's worse case scenario anyways!" 

A twinge of embarrassment was obvious from Izuku's expression, his eyes clenched shut with his nose scrunched up a bit from the initial shock of getting interrupted mixed with the realization that he was, again, rambling… it was really weird to him especially, though. He really couldn't remember the last time he muttered this much, outside of doing it at investigations… he thought he grew out of the habit (not that it was necessarily  _ bad _ , but it did unnerve people around them… a completely understandable reaction). He mumbled a strained apology, though his expression became a bit more relaxed, if not dejected and somewhat annoyed, when Eri crooned over him "being absolutely  _ adorkable _ "… it didn't take long for him to understand why she used that term to describe him, but it didn't make him feel any better about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am back from the dead. TwT
> 
> It's been hard this last month for me to sit down and do anything. Quit one job, working full time for the other, probably had at most 5 hours of sleep on my best night… I didn't go to bed until 2 AM today. 
> 
> I should honestly just rebrand my AO3 account to something with zombie in the title, since it's one of my many nicknames irl.
> 
> Chapter 4 will be finished soon, and I'm already half way through! Wish me luck (and maybe a good night's rest too)!


	4. A Journey Follows a Series of Smaller Steps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Needing to stock up before a long trip is rather important! Izuku brings the two Pokehumans to the market and something rather unexpected happens, much to Izuku's chagrin. 
> 
> Also, someone give Toshi a chance to de-stress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So last chapter I said that I would be introducing a lot of characters this time. 
> 
> I'm actually not, I decided to hold back a little bit so I can world build and further develop the dynamics. 
> 
> So quite basically, I'm going to make the following chapters heavy on detail. I believe I might be able to bring in some characters next chapter. No promises, just expect good writing.

> ✧*✫*★*✫*✧

Izuku had yet again surprised the shiny Lucario. He didn't make a big deal over it, but he'd admit that he was rather skilled in driving the motorcycle if directly asked about it, maybe with some beating around the bush. After all, he wasn't someone you'd expect to be good at something cool, not including the detective work, of course. And he'd rather keep his image that way… it was what he was used to.

So driving the Harley-Davidson around with a rolled up sleeping bag, small tent kit, travel silverware and dishes, extra clothes and a bunch of other supplies tied up neatly and compact… it was something that made Izuku feel a bit uneasy. Other than the two Pokehumans with him already being a beyond drastic leap from his normal routine, going out into the world for the first time like this… it was hard to not be unnerved! Toshi had to keep reassuring him that no one was giving him odd looks and he had indeed brought all of the essentials they'd need for the journey…

But what else the Pokehuman was  _ trying _ to convince Izuku bring was not up for debate.

"No, I already told you! No Pokeballs!" The young adult grumbled through clenched teeth, struggling not to turn around to raise his voice at a Pokemon while at a stop light. That was  _ definitely _ unnecessary attention.

Eri groaned as she looked a bit more than displeased while sitting securely in Toshi's lap and hold. The poor girl currently was struggling to ignore the two males and enjoy the feeling of the breeze in her fur and the passing lights of the stores all lit up for the late afternoon hours. Even for a girl as young as herself, she found their bickering tiresome.

Toshi sighed, a weak smile playing off his minor agitation with the boy. "Young Midoriya, why are you already denying yourself the chance to have a Pokemon partner before you even meet it?" His frustration with the stubborn detective was hard to push down, since he knew there  _ was _ most likely a justifiable reason why Izuku was so adamant about this, other than the apparent track record of Pokemon giving him a hard time. He clearly wasn't one to just decide something on a whim. 

"…" Izuku said nothing more, before revving up the motorcycle and continuing forwards once the light turned green.

While the little Espurr's disgruntled grumble followed by an exaggerated eye roll went unnoticed, though she wasn't exactly trying to gain attention, Toshi only felt more exasperation grow towards the lack of reasoning from Young Midoriya. But he wasn't about to start a full blown argument while the young adult was driving… well, he would hope it wouldn't come to that. He just feared pushing the boy too much in one day. It was only yet another thing to add to the ever growing list of questions about the young man's past… he could almost laugh at the realization that he was starting to have more questions about Young Midoriya's life than his own at this point…?

"… we should probably go by the store anyways, though." Izuku said over the sound of the engine and wind. He looked over at the yellow Pokehuman just long enough to give a grin, reassuring Toshi that he wasn't upset, at least.

Eri was relieved that the two had  _ finally _ stopped and came to a silent agreement to go easy on each other for the rest of the night. She piped up, helping change the subject, "Niichan, can we get some more treats? Sweet berries? I can help carry them!" 

Both of the males couldn't help the smiles growing on their faces, both completely helpless to the sweet girl. Toshi rubbed Eri's head behind her folded ears as Izuku rolled his eyes in good nature. "Sure, Eri. We can get some berries-" His breath hitched, shaking his head a bit. 

Toshi was about to ask what was wrong, but Eri's giggling caught his attention, soon explaining to him, "Niichan is trying to focus on the road to stop himself from mumbling!" 

"… oh… yeah, it's probably a bad idea to get him going on one of those trains of thought of his right now…"

✧*✫*★*✫*✧

And indeed it would have been. The moment Izuku parked the Harley-Davidson, he spontaneously erupted in an almost incoherent tangent, muttering up such a storm that the word vomit was almost tangible in the air. Toshi almost had a heart attack when he assumed that Young Midoriya was so lost in his thoughts, that he wouldn't stop for the car that would have definitely hit him. But, to the yellow Pokehuman's great relief and genuine astonishment, the young man miraculously was  _ somehow _ aware enough of his surroundings to stop walking. Toshi quietly grieved for the years that this kid would most  _ definitely _ take from him, just from the stress of watching over him-? He grimaced slightly when he corrected himself and acknowledged that  _ both _ Young Midoriya  _ and _ Young Eri would simultaneously make his end draw nearer, seeing as how Young Eri eagerly listened to every bit of Young Midoriya's rambling, her Psychic abilities clearly aiding her in understanding the muttered flurry of thoughts.

"Okay!" Izuku unintentionally startled Toshi, unknowingly yet  _ again _ , and explained himself, "We're on a mission now! Leppa and Lum berries! Those are an absolute must have, but also Sitrus berries and, if this market has them, Colbur berries would be good to have… and maybe some Chople, Occa, Shuca… oh! Right, Tanga and Kasib too-"

"Young Midoriya…" Toshi, although he still smiled as he patted the boy's arm, had a small irk mark show on his forehead and if he had them, one of his eyebrows would have probably been twitching at this point. "Knowing that those berries would be helpful, it's not necessary to get  _ all _ of those. Those last few are the berries that help with defending against super effective moves, correct? That seems a  _ little _ bit overkill." He couldn't help but chuckle, the stress this boy was giving him only dissipating somewhat as he shook his head.

Izuku had an odd, reminiscent sort of feeling when the older Pokehuman knocked him for his bad habit, but he couldn't put his finger on it. It was an oddly nice feeling though. He squeaked a bit before quietly answering, "I mean… yeah… but I really _ do _ think it'd be smart for us to have a few berries that'd help Eri-chan at least…"

"But Niichan, don't they taste bad?" Eri gripped onto Izuku's pant leg and looked rather distressed, "It's okay, Niichan! Ojisan and I don't need those berries! Just the healing ones will be okay!" She then looked to the side in a cheeky manner, "And maybe the Watmel berries too…" 

Izuku deadpanned at the small girl and sighed, "You just want those ones because they're super sweet…" He had to chuckle though when the little Espurr made a peppy, "Mhm!" He barely shook his head side to side as an endearing smile grew on his face while rubbing the back of his head, "Ahhh… you're going to be the death of me, Eri." 

Toshi looked less than amused by Izuku's statement, grumbling, "Hey, that's  _ my _ line." 

While it took everything in Izuku's power to not laugh at Toshi's disdain, a few chuckles managing to escape, Eri's ear twitched. It wasn't because she heard something audible, but because someone familiar was nearby… she smiled subtly in their direction, deciding to amuse their desire to not be caught.

✧*✫*★*✫*✧

"Okay! That's everything!" Izuku stood back a little to admire his handy work, having placed all of the berries in his cooler and reorganized all of the supplies both in and on the bike. There was a brief moment of regret Izuku had, wishing that he had taken more time to go out on camping trips or something like that… but before he could feel the twinge of negativity, he clapped his hands together. "Alright, let's get going, then! No need to waste time, right? We've gotta go get your friends!" 

"But Niichan, shouldn't we wait?" Eri tugged on Izuku's pant leg, her expression sweet and innocent, which only threw Izuku and Toshi more for a loop. 

Toshi was about to ask what the young Espurr meant, but his ear twitched, drawing his attention immediately to the direction of an approaching group… but he relaxed the moment he saw the purple, unruly mop of hair. 

Before Izuku knew it, he heard an all too familiar voice chime, "Hey, Midoriya! Going out on an adventure without me?" Izuku looked up and gawked at Shinso's approaching figure, his partner waving as he rode on a mega-evolved Absol, the wing like tufts of fur on his back rustling gently with each step. Feral mewed in greetings from her perched position on Shinso's shoulder, her tail swaying gracefully to further emphasize her content enjoyment. 

Izuku felt himself go rigid, his voice cracking from surprise as he yelped, "Sh-Shinso!?" He immediately tried to recover, clearing his throat forcefully before clumsily continuing, "Wh-what the heck are you doing out here? Why aren't you back at the office?" Despite his awkward attempt to talk, he gladly reached out to the mega-evolved Absol to pet the white Pokemon's ruff, earning a happy coo. "Hey, Lucky. Nice to see you too." 

Shinso hopped off of Lucky and the Absol reverted back into his normal form, though his appearance was still just as regal, even intimidating to those who didn't know how much of a sweetie the Disaster Pokemon truly was. The purple haired man merely rolled his eyes at his long time partner detective, "Oh, come on, Midoriya. Like it wasn't obvious what you were getting yourself into." He sassed his friend, but Izuku knew it was more caring than what it initially came across as. Shinso continued, explaining himself, "You meet these two Pokemon, get really close to them too in one day, claim to be going out to find their owners despite there being no missing Pokemon reports, request time off from office work to go freelance for awhile, _and_ you actually bring out the damn motorcycle from the bas-" A quick look at Eri made him pause briefly, "-from the _jerk_ you can barely appreciate? Must be quite the trip, let alone all the _camping_ _supplies_…" He crossed his arms, tsking, despite a comedic smirk growing on his face, "I'm not stupid, Midoriya. I've known you too long at this point to _not_ notice things like this… so admit it, either to me or yourself, you're going on your first Pokemon adventure, aren't you?" 

Toshi started to snicker, which made Izuku want to crumble down even more from embarrassment of getting found out so easily. The yellow Pokehuman mumbled, "What did you expect from a fellow detective, Young Midoriya?"

Izuku waved off both the Pokehuman and his best friend, grumbling, "Okay, okay! Fine, yeah. I'm going on an  _ adventure _ … man, that sounds so corny…" 

"Only if you overthink it… which is as normal as breathing for you." The other young adult quipped, rolling his eyes. Feral snickered in her feline way, her sickle edged tail flicking from amusement.

That earned a frustrated grumble from Izuku, who facepalmed with a dramatic dragging motion down his face, "Ugh… but why are you here? You didn't answer my question-" He then noticed the saddlebags on Lucky's back… oh.

Shinso deadpanned, his already heavy set eyelids looking even more low, "Midoriya… it should be obvious that I'm coming with you." He subtly gestured to Toshi with a slight nod in the Pokehuman's direction, "You might have a rather powerful Pokemon with you, but not only do you claim that both Eri-chan and this Lucario aren't yours, but you also don't have any Pokemon fighting experience… well…" He scratched at his chin slightly, "At least, not  _ direct _ experience. You could- no, _ would _ probably hold your own in a battle against weaker opponents. You did use to help me out with strategies against all those a-holes back in school… and you do have that unused trainer's license." 

Izuku had thought it over too, seeing as how Shinso had a solid point. "But simply having knowledge isn't the same as actually putting it to practice…" He nodded in agreement, unable to look over the fact that he was absolutely at a disadvantage already. What if those people after Toshi and Eri came and he couldn't pull through in helping out? That really was a horrible thought… "Alright, yes. I need you." 

Shinso tsked again, chuckling as Lucky mega-evolved again before the young adult mounted on. "Duh, that's why I'm here." He gestured with an open arm, smirking that lopsided grin of his, "Lead the way, boss." 

Izuku rolled his eyes, and sighed, "Alright, alright, knock it off…" He went over to his bike, but noticed Toshi rubbing his forehead. Quietly, Izuku questioned, "What's your problem? Everything okay?" He then noticed Eri giggling, so he  _ knew _ that it wasn't anything too serious. 

"… Young Man, you refuse to get a Pokeball, or even consider getting a partner,  _ but you keep your license up to date?? _ Where, just  _ where _ is your logic  _ in _ that??" The absolutely confused grimace on the Lucario's face, along with the upturned palms from the shrugged position of Toshi's arms, made Eri finally bust out laughing, all the while making Midoriya stutter in defense, trying to diffuse the inquisition.

Shinso merely looked over, immaturely teasing Midoriya, "Ooooo… looks like someone's getting judged!" 

"Sh-sh-shut up!!" Izuku could only sigh… this journey was going to be a  _ long _ one…

✧*✫*★*✫*✧

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hurrah!! I have finished Chapter 4!!
> 
> I apologise for the late update! I promise that the next update won't take as long, and also promise that things will start to pick up, especially since I have rather… fun plans with the other characters… *maniacal laughter*
> 
> It has been hard balancing out Inktober, writing and (hah) work. I'm really not used to adulting, so I apologise again for the horrible update schedule… or really, the lack of one.


	5. Late Night Chats: Is Coffee Even Good For You?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toshi decides to stay up with his human companion and try and help Young Midoriya in whatever way he can. After all, he promised to protect Izuku! Be it from physical threats or even Young Midoriya's own self… just what is it that the young adult is dealing with? 
> 
> Well, it is safe to assume that neither of them expected to have… other things get thrown into the mix of things messing with Young Midoriya's life. Why can't life let up a little and give them a break for once?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!! I'm so sorry for the long wait!! Work is a freaking horrible pain right now. I made this chapter extra long for you all, and I seriously hope you enjoy!!
> 
> Also, please don't be put off by the bit of corny goofiness later on in the chapter. Trust me, I don't like heavily focusing on romantic stuff, and if anything, Toshi makes the scene all the better afterwards. Gotta get my ship to bump into each other somehow… hehehe.

✧*✫*★*✫*✧

"… uh, Midoriya? You alright there?" 

"H-huh? Y-yeah, what do you mean?"

"You're shaking." 

Izuku flinched when Shinso pointed out the obvious fact. He was indeed shaking like a leaf as he pushed his motorcycle along the broad walkway, anxiety rising up in his throat as a form of pressure built up in his chest. Had he been his younger self, he probably would have frantically tried to play it off, fibbing about his well being. Instead, he merely grumbled defiantly as he waved his best friend off, "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he genuinely was thankful for the distraction from his emotions. Subconsciously, he started to grip tighter onto the key to his bike, the old and dust covered keychain providing an odd sense of comfort.

And he knew that Shinso knew him well enough to not need the audible thanks. The other male smirked with knowing mirth, "Whatever you say, Midoriya."

Izuku sighed, looking down as he shook his head, but he paused and looked over at Toshi, who decided to walk closer at his side. He hadn't wanted to ride the motorcycle while Izuku pushed it along, favoring being active instead. And he definitely did not mind offering what comfort he could provide to Young Midoriya. "Don't worry, my boy. We'll stay close."

And as if on cue, Eri bounded up and onto Izuku's shoulders from her seat in the side carriage, which Izuku couldn't help but find endearing as usual, an exasperated yet good natured sigh escaping him as he rolled his eyes.

The two detectives and their Pokemon companions were stopped outside a small pit stop like place, one right outside of the city and at the beginning of forest lined roads and trails… an ideal trainer hub. Even at night, the hub was bustling with people and their Pokemon, and Izuku was in subtle awe of all of the various partners, immediately picking out the few that weren't native to Japan and pointing them out to Eri if she asked about them. "Oh, that one? That's a Cinccino, the scarf Pokemon! They're from America, more common on the East coast! They're apparently super,  _ super _ soft, but can use their tails for rather aggressive attacks!" "That's a Ribombee, and they're from Hawaii! They can use those clumps of pollen for food or for healing!" "Oh! That's-"

"Young Midoriya!" Toshi pinched the bridge of his snout, but he chuckled nevertheless. "Calm down. I understand, the Pokemon around here are rather cool and you enjoy nerding out and tend to get caught up in your ramblings rather easily… but you're kinda freaking out everyone around us." He coughed into his paw, quietly adding, "Not everyone talks to their Pokemon like they're people too."

Shinso, on the other hand, turned around when Midoriya  _ stopped _ talking. "Midoriya? Everything cool? I heard Toshi bark and you went silent…" He looked down at the Lucario, and then made eye contact with Midoriya again, "Did he try to warn you of something?" Feral's ears immediately perked at Shinso's words, mirroring his sudden weariness by watching Izuku's expressions with intense concern. 

Izuku went wide eyed and waved his hands, careful not to accidentally make Eri slip off of his shoulder, "What?? Oh, no! N-no, you got it all wrong, Shinso!" He knew his friend would want him to explain, so he immediately came up with an excuse, it being true at least, "It's just that I can't help but talk to Eri-chan! She is just really curious, especially with all the other Pokemon around. Toshi was just chastising me for making everyone around us uncomfortable and- what?" 

Shinso had adopted such intensity from the scare of something wrong possibly happening, that Izuku's explanation was a complete shock. He immediately began to struggle with holding back chuckling, still snorting a little bit, which completely confused Izuku. He shook his head, a smile fighting its way onto Shinso's face, "I-I'm sorry… that was just too funny to me." He sighed and rubbed the back of his head, "It's only the end of day one and you talk to Eri like you talked to me years back and Toshi is already trying to help you with your bad habits…" He then looked back at the yellow Lucario, his hands in his hoodie pockets, "It's actually kinda amazing, if you think about it."

Izuku looked at Toshi, the Pokehuman sharing the same confused and yet intrigued expression. 

Shinso smirked, casually noting how the two had even similar behaviorisms. "Lucario evolve from Riolu, and they only evolve in the presence of a very trusted partner. So the fact that this Lucario is already so comfortable with you… it just goes to show how  _ you _ are as a person. You just  _ connect _ , even if now you're trying to close off." He then shrugged before he turned back around, continuing on his way, "Plus, you have to admit it's pretty funny how just a few hours ago, you were so adamant about these two not being yours, but now you're having full on conversations with them and they're responding back." He looked over his shoulder that wasn't occupied by Feral, his grin making even his tired eyes look like there was a spark in them, "Maybe now you can finally-"

Izuku flinched, snapping at Shinso, whom of which only began to chuckle, "H-hey! I told you to quit bringing it up!" He bristled with anger, but quickly huffed from agitation as he forced himself to calm down, a dejected look apparent in his eyes… though it quickly became one of bitter agitation when Shinso wouldn't stop chuckling. "Oh, shut up already…"

While the two detectives continued walking through the hub, Toshi and Eri exchanged worried looks… what hadn't Izuku told them?

✧*✫*★*✫*✧

Eri was on Lucky's back as he ran into the hotel room. The happy-go-lucky Destruction Pokemon leapt up onto one of the two beds in the decent sized hotel room, the owner being quite generous in giving the two detectives a great deal that was almost like robbery in Izuku's eyes… guess that's what happens when you're well known in the area and are remembered. Apparently Izuku and Shinso had helped with the owner's family awhile back. It wasn't hard to remember the details once they heard the names though, just a simple robbery from their home, easy to crack. 

The owner had also been generous enough to let Izuku park his motorcycle in the private garage, not that there were many crimes at all in the hub. Too many good people in the small area, but still, it was a nice peace of mind thing.

Toshi followed after Izuku, trusting Eri with Shinso and his kind Pokemon, the new development of discovering that the boy apparently had anxiety in large places making the Lucario want to stay close more so than before. He had promised to protect Young Midoriya, and that included both literally in a physical sense and figuratively in the more mental sense. Plus, now there was this unknown subject the boy didn't want mentioned, probably something traumatic.  _ 'Things are just getting more complicated, aren't they?' _

Izuku had a slight smile that made only a small, and yet still noticeable difference to his expression, brushing a hand over the smooth leather of the seat. A slight scoff left his throat, before he looked up to his new friend. 

Toshi was relieved that Young Midoriya was at least warming up to him.  _ 'And he's not in a gloomy mood like before. That's a relief…' _ He chuckled, noticing how the boy seemed to cheer up a little more, "What? Do I have a messy patch of fur?" 

Izuku did a double take, not expecting that sort of commentary, before laughing a little, "Haha, no… I just…" He exhaled softly in a huff as he sat down on the motorcycle seat, "I don't know. I just… have this  _ feeling _ that I don't know what it is. It's like I'm nervous, and excited… I'm a little scared too, to be absolutely honest." He then quickly gave a deadpanned look at Toshi, "You being able to sense my emotions doesn't exactly make it any easier to hide it, so might as well let it out."

This got the yellow Pokehuman to laugh out in one hearty exclamation, before affirming, "Yep! You're really bad at being closed off. You wear your heart on your sleeve, my boy!" But before Young Izuku could take it as an insult, he built on what he said, "But sometimes, that's one of the best qualities someone can have. It makes you seem all the more  _ real _ . You don't even realize how that makes so much of a difference!" 

He came over and sat down right next to the young adult, taking the second to notice how Young Midoriya relaxed a bit more already. "Take the hotel owner for instance! You helped him out before, but if you were truly a closed off person, do you think he'd want to remember what you did for him and his family in the same way?" 

"Hah… no." Izuku chuckled a little, giving a funny look at Toshi, "How did you do that? I wasn't even feeling upset, and you somehow made me feel  _ better _ over nothing!"

Toshi couldn't help but chortle over the boy's bewilderment. "I don't know, my boy. Guess it's just something that happened. This world is full of mysteries." 

The detective groaned, a hand covering his face, "Gee, thanks for the half assed answer." Though despite his annoyance with the Lucario, he felt his smile come back on his face… just a little. He dropped his hand in a lazy motion, taking his phone out for the time. "It's almost going on 10…" he sighed, rubbing the back of his head, "I'm not even remotely ready to go to bed just yet." 

Toshi, however, sensed something else.  _ 'Anxiety…' _ He didn't let on that he knew differently, instead opting to provide another option. "Maybe we should go for a walk? Maybe clear your head and tire yourself out a bit?" 

Izuku scoffed, before standing up and off the bike. "Yeah, that actually sounds really nice right now." He then looked at his phone, "I'll text Shinso. Let him know we'll be out for a bit. He's used to me doing stuff like this." 

_ 'Makes sense… Shinso knows you well, Young Midoriya. Seems that you yourself don't, however.' _ The Pokehuman only felt the growing need to take care of his new companion. 

✧*✫*★*✫*✧

After about a half hour of walking around the hub's shops, the duo being somewhat surprised that all of the shops were still open this late in the night, they walked by a small cafe. Izuku didn't need the nose of a Pokemon in order to catch the amazing scent of warm pastries and bitter, delicious coffee-! The young adult blushed a bit when his stomach growled. 

Toshi found the boy's reaction to be rather amusing. If he had eyebrows, he would have quirked them in a comedic way, almost condescending when he questioned Young Midoriya, "You wanna go in?" He beamed, "The coffee smells really good… it's been a long time since I've gotten to have some."

Defeated by both his companion and his stomach, Izuku mumbled, "Yes." Embarrassment was a horrible thing to deal with, so he was thankful for the opportunity to get his mind off of it. "Hey, are you even able to drink coffee like that? You know, as a Pokemon-!!" 

He yelped when someone bumped into him as he opened up the door. He was too steadfast in his stature to be easily knocked over, but the same couldn't be said about the other person, so he reacted almost instinctively, catching the person by their arm. He asked without sparing a single second, "Are you alright??" as he pulled them up, stabilizing them with his other hand on their shoulder while still holding onto their arm-!!

Deep, chocolate brown that caught the glow from the fairy lights strung around the shop met concerned harlequin green. The world seemed to pause for a second, though it felt like an eternity. It certainly didn't take long for both of them to get red faced. 

Toshi was a bit startled by Izuku and the girl's collision, same for the girl's Gardevoir who had immediately began to coddle her trainer, but was taken a bit aback by how the two young adults immediately  _ connected _ , just standing outside in front of the cafe. He found it pretty hilarious, if he was being honest with himself, and even the Gardevoir seemed to pick up on the same thing he did. It was also rather ridiculous that Izuku managed to go and bumps into something without even being distracted by muttering to himself, go figure. His choked back giggles snapped Izuku out of his overwhelmed stupor. 

Spontaneously, both Izuku and the girl frantically hopped back from each other, a flurry of apologies spewing from each other, again, startling their Pokemon and Pokehuman companions. Almost simultaneously, they both stopped their rambling. It didn't take long for them to both struggle with holding back laughter.

The girl managed to get words out first, miraculously giggling only a little as she spoke, "I'm so sorry." 

Izuku shook his head, still barely managing to hold back his laughter, "No, no, it's alright! I'm perfectly fine. It's  _ you _ that I'm worried about! Are you alright?"

She nodded her head, smoothing down her sweater vest, "Mhm! Takes a lot more than a literal run in with someone to take me out!" She then chuckled as she scratched at her cheek, "I'm just glad I wasn't holding a drink to go! It would have been a shame to ruin that nice suit." 

Izuku did a brief double take. He had forgotten that he was still wearing his collared white shirt. He had gotten comfortable in them over the years of being a detective, and any source of comfort  _ this far _ out of his comfort zone was much appreciated. He waved her off, "Oh, no! This isn't that nice of a shirt, believe me!" He then stopped, a mirthless look on his face as he reminisced for a moment, "I've had worse things happen to me that have ruined perfectly good shirts. A shirt ruined by a drink spill would be a nice change of pace…" 

His serious tone finally got the girl to laugh, a bubbly sound that made Izuku's heart seem to beat harder in his chest. "Oh no! That sounds awful!" Even with the laughter, she still sounded genuinely sorry for him. "I give my condolences for the misfortunate loss of shirts in the past, though I give thanks to up above for giving us enough luck to spare this one and both of our dignity." She then offered her hand, "I'm Uraraka Ochaco." 

Izuku took her hand and shook it, noting how shockingly strong her clasp was, "Midoriya Izuku! And it's alright, I've learned my lesson and found out where to buy affordable shirts that look and feel nice-?"

Uraraka went wide eyed, "Midoriya!? As in Special Agent Midoriya, the Detective!?" 

Izuku would admit, he flinched a little bit. This girl was  _ very _ energetic.  _ '… cute…' _ He felt his cheeks heat up, stammering, "Oh!! Y-yeah, that's me. B-but please! Just Midoriya is fine! I only get called 'Agent' by working officers at crime scenes." He reached up to scratch his head from the weird amount of nervousness building up inside of him, when Toshi right next to him cleared his throat. Izuku looked down, realizing that he was  _ still _ holding Uraraka's hand, immediately releasing it. 

Uraraka, however, didn't seem to notice, bringing both of her fists up as she leaned forwards a bit, awe painted on her face in such a determined way, Izuku felt like he nearly stopped breathing, "Wow!! My squad mate tells me so much about you!! You've helped out on our cases so often, I'm so glad I got a chance to meet you!!" She straightened up, though she still held her fists up at shoulder height, "You probably don't know me well by my Hero name, I'm still pretty new, but I'm Uravity!" 

Izuku, however, immediately lit up with recognition. "I do know you, actually!!" He didn't know it, but the amount of excitement he held in his eyes surprised his yellow companion. "I've seen you on TV and read articles on you and the other Heroes from your graduating class from UA!!"

Uraraka's perpetually pink cheeks were ever so slightly shaded a darker color than normal. In the spur of the moment, she mimicked him, "Yep, that's me! But please, just Uraraka is fine! I only get called Uravity when I'm out on the field in uniform." There was a certain coyness laced in her voice.

"O-oh! O-okay then, Urara-!!" His eyes flashed wide open when it finally dawned on him that she had copied him, her suppressed giggles only confirming it. His cheeks burned, finding himself shifting his weight between his feet as he jammed his hands into his pant pockets. He cleared his throat as he avoided eye contact, trying desperately to distract himself from the weird feeling that kept rising in his chest. "Y-you really  _ are _ amazing, though! Especially with how you utilize psychokinetic tactics…!" He then looked over to the Gardevoir at Uraraka's side, awe already making him drop his jaw and forget his embarrassment, "And this must be…" 

She gestured to the Gardevoir, who waved in greeting, "Mhm! This is Ayame! One of my trusted companions! She joined me back as a Raltz when I was just a little girl, and has been my best friend ever since!" Before he could begin to fanboy over her partner, which she found utterly adorable of the "stoic" Detective she heard so much about, she cut off Midoriya, looking at the oddly colored Lucario. "Is that your partner Pokemon? I never heard about him from my friends!" She didn't say anything about it, but she had been told that Midoriya hadn't had a single Pokemon companion. It was a definite surprise, that's for sure!

Izuku went wide eyed, thrown off at first. It dawned on him that people who recognized him would point out Toshi and eventually Eri.  _ 'Guess I should start getting used to it…' _ He let out a laugh, trying his best to not make it sound forced. "Yeah, that's Toshi. We recently met. I don't have many go-to contacts for updates like that, just the people who work in the same office as me." 

Toshi, meanwhile, took notice to not only how he seemed like such a different person in this moment with Young Uraraka, but also how Young Midoriya worded his answer.  _ 'He didn't say that we weren't his Pokemon…'  _ He felt a smile creep onto his face, a different one than one of amusement. It was definitely a good feeling he had, that's for sure. 

Uraraka seemed like she was about to continue their conversation, when Ayame placed her hand on the Pokemon Hero's shoulder. Ochaco looked over at her Gardevoir, and went wide eyed, turning back to Izuku, "Oh! I'm so sorry, but we have to go! I'm running late, and I don't want my squad to freak out…" She then grimaced, "Iida is going to chastise me to death…" 

Izuku responded immediately by moving to the side, even gesturing with both arms with a slight bow to direct her along like a gentleman, "Oh, please! By all means! Don't want you getting chewed out by the 'mom friend'. I've heard it can get rather severe." 

Uraraka snorted a bit at his goofy but endearing gesture, and waved him off, "Yeah, thanks for understanding!" She then smiled, unknowingly making Izuku's heart all but stop in that beautiful moment, "Hope to see you again soon, Midoriya! Keep up the amazing detective work!" 

"Uh, yeah! O-of course! Thanks, U-Uraraka!" He stood up straight, calling after her, "K-keep up the amazing hero-ing work, too!!" He awkwardly waved slightly, now feeling really rigid. Once she was way out of ear shot, he all but crumbled down, an exasperated breath escaping him. 

Toshi finally busted out laughing, nearly falling over in the process, had he not put a paw on Young Midoriya's leg. When the young adult freaked out, frantically asking why he was laughing so hard, Toshi wheezed out, "You! You were so awkward! That was so bad!" 

Izuku flinched, snapping at his companion with a defensive, high pitched tone, "I-I panicked!! I-I don't know!!" He huffed, crossing his arms across his chest, puffing out his cheeks a little as he looked to the side. "I don't know what's  _ wrong _ with me… I just… wigged out." He threw his arms up in frustration, though he felt himself start to calm down a little. Still, that stupid sort of Butterfree in his stomach sensation was driving him insane. 

Toshi, having just recovered somewhat from his laughter, snorted again, disbelief splashed on his expression with comedic tone, "What? Never been flustered before-?" Izuku's unexpected pallid gaze worried him. "Young Midoriya…? Are you alright…?" 

Izuku gawked into space, not staring at anything directly. It took awhile, but he finally spoke, "… oh my God…" 

The Lucario blinked a bit, "… young man, is this the  _ first _ time you've ever had a crush?"

That sparked Izuku into motion, immediately crying out, "Sh-sh-shut up!!" He clasped onto some of his curly locks, his face practically glowing like a red light bulb, "I-I don't have a  _ cr-crush _ !! We just met!! I-I mean, sure!! I knew  _ about  _ her, b-but I don't  _ know _ her!!" 

Toshi scoffed, patting Young Midoriya's back, "Okay, okay, calm down, kid… sheesh, I didn't say you're in  _ love _ with the girl! There is a healthy margin between being attracted to someone and actually falling in love with said person." He smiled, chuckling, "Though I have to admit! She  _ did _ seem to make you act a whole lot differently than normal. You really just brightened up like Christmas… haha, that and you getting red faced with that green hair only emphasized that. Young Eri's gonna love exploring that memory later." 

Izuku groaned in defeat, mumbling softly as a single tear ran down his cheek, "Stop rubbing in salt, Toshi… besides, it's not like I'm going to see her again… except maybe on TV during newsreels." 

Toshi chuckled, "Don't say that… people like that don't just show up and then disappear forever, my boy." If his aura reading told him anything, it was that something was definitely shifting around them. "Yeah, I'd bet on that." 

The young adult grimaced, grumbling curtly, "Let's just get you that coffee and go to the hotel. I lost my appetite…" He scowled when he saw Toshi's almost smug grin growing on his muzzle… but a slight smile made its way into his face as well.

✧*✫*★*✫*✧

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hah hah, did anyone get the joke? They literally… bumped into… okay, I know that was awful. I promise it won't get that corny at all later, but you gotta admit. I didn't stray too far from canon. Even if you don't ship it, it's pretty blatant that they find each other adorable. 
> 
> Also, I had a whole lot of fun writing Dad Might in this one. I actually based off his words of advice from both my dad and amazing uncles. I hope that made it feel a bit more real. 
> 
> Anyways, thanks for reading!! I /might/ have to put this story on hold for December… hehehehe I have plans for a lovely Christmas AU… (pain. It's pain. Beautiful, but pain.)


	6. Bad Luck and Anxieties of All Sorts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All sorts of troubles start popping up for our group of intrepid adventurers, specifically for Midoriya. His unspoken issues are one thing, but now fluster? Other than the teasing over having a hopeless crush, things can't get much worse than that… somehow, he can already taste the irony at play.

✧*✫*★*✫*✧

Izuku woke up to Shinso smacking his face with a pillow. A rude awakening, but it was better than the dream he was having. More like a distorted, memory-fueled nightmare. The greenette grumbled a low, "Owww…," pitifully rolling over to the other side of the bed to try and relax for a bit, not feeling well rested in the slightest. 

Shinso was less than amused, not exactly a morning person. Midoriya was somewhat better than himself, but that's just because even with his depressive mood and his shit sleeping habits, Midoriya always had an inexplicable excess of energy. It drove Shinso and sometimes even Midoriya himself nuts. He smacked his best friend on the head again with the soft weapon, grumbling back in response, "C'mon, Izuku… we gotta get going. The sun is already up, idiot." 

"Urmph… screw you…!!" Izuku felt a paw on his back, before getting _ shoved _ off of the bed. He let out a very unmanly sound of shock, but at least Eri was kind enough to catch him in her Psychic hold, before letting him gently tumble to the floor. In a flash, he sat up, making immediate, glowering eye contact with his yellow Lucario companion. "Toshi, what the Hell??" 

The Pokehuman huffed, his arms crossed in defiance, though the humor in his voice betrayed him, "You were being lazy and rude. Young Shinso has already packed up everything again and we're ready to go." However, his tone softened, worry laced in his expression, "We need to go make sure everyone is okay. Time is of the essence."

Izuku groaned, before reluctantly standing up. "I got it, stop whining." He brushed himself off, going over to his duffle bag to grab a change of fresh pair of clothes, another pair of slacks and a cheap dress shirt with a waistcoat to go over it this time. 

Eri giggled, "Niichan and Shin-chan both have really crazy hair. It always looks like fluffy bed head." She then tilted her head, scrutinizing both of the humans' appearances, "And yet… I can't imagine them without it. It wouldn't look right nice, even if it was just brushed a little." 

Izuku turned to the Espurr and scowled… well, more like pouted, though he wouldn't admit it. "Eri… I _ do _brush my hair. It's just…" He gestured vaguely at his own head of hair, twirling his hands around to emphasize the fact that his curls were untamable and crazy no matter what he did. 

And Eri understood. She beamed a brilliant smile, her sharp little canines making her look even cuter with that wide, happy expression. "You're silly!" 

He stuck his tongue out at her, chuckling himself when he only made her laugh even more… _ 'Best sound in the world.' _ He shook his head slowly, looking over to Shinso, "Hey, I'll get dressed in the bathroom really quick." 

"'kay." The other young adult nodded his head without looking up from his phone. "I'll order us food from that cafe just down the street. That place apparently has really awesome breakfast croissant sandwiches-? Dude, you okay?" He looked up with a quizzical air, an eyebrow raised when Midoriya stumbled out of nowhere and rammed into the wall right next to the bathroom door. 

"F-f-fine!!" Izuku's voice cracked horribly, heat raising to his cheeks as both Toshi and Eri gained teasing expressions. Toshi especially, since he knew the story first-hand. The detective cleared his throat and waved Shinso off with his free hand, "J-just stumbled a bit! I'm good!"

Shinso shook his head with an incredulous expression, not believing Midoriya one bit. He set his phone down and leaned back in his chair with a groan and roll of his orchid hues, "Midoriya, you've been acting weird since last night. And not your normal level of weirdness, but _ really _ weird! First, you're all extra anxious and stuff, and then when you come back from your walk with Toshi, you're tripping over yourself, stuttering even _ more _ , you actually attempted going to sleep before 1 AM for once in, what? _ Months _?"

Through the bathroom door, Izuku whined, "Dude, shut up! I'm not _ that _ bad!" _ 'Seriously, please stop! You've got two people listening in on this, one of which will chew me out the second he can without witnesses!' _ He thought things couldn't get much worse-

"It's like you ran into a girl or something! You're acting like a guy from some cheesy, cliche rom com- why is Toshi barking like that?" 

The young adult in the bathroom wished for death as Toshi quite literally howled with laughter, both him and Eri on the floor from their zealous reactions, Toshi even hitting the floor with his fist from needing to express his overwhelming surge of humor. 

Shinso put Midoriya's silence and the boisterous guffawing from his two Pokemon together… figuring out rather quickly that he was spot on with what was just supposed to be a childish jab at his buddy. "… oh." Knowing how well (extremely poorly) Izuku functioned with anxiety, he knew for a fact that _ fluster _ was probably not kind to his long time friend. "Well now I just feel bad."

✧*✫*★*✫*✧

As the group walked the forest path, Shinso continued to ask questions about this mystery girl. Mostly because he enjoyed torturing his friend, but also because he genuinely _ was _ curious. It was his buddy's first crush!! Of course he was intrigued!! Finding out who it was made it all the better.

"So you're telling me… that you, a complete and total Pokemon nerd and fanboy, ran into the rookie Poke Hero that already has a fanbase growing, that she knew who you were, _ and _ that you _ both _ were exchanging actual sentences?" He scoffed, "Dude, you were cognitively aware the entire time despite being a flustered idiot. I call that a soulmate match." 

Izuku scowled bitterly as he pushed his bike forwards. "Gee, thanks for the sarcasm." His cheeks, however, glowed with heat. He then grumbled at Toshi, who was _ still _ laughing, albeit much more contained and softer.

"Ojisan, stop making Niichan feel worse!" Eri waved her little paw in frustration at her uncle as he apologized to Izuku, but she too was still struggling with small giggles. She was riding on Lucky's back along with Feral, the three becoming a little troop of their own, even though the two actual Pokemon knew she was actually human. It was official… no one could resist Eri's adorable cuteness.

Shinso snickered, patting Izuku's shoulder, "Hey, I'm being serious! Sure, it's still funny, but I'm genuinely happy for you. Uravity is local, too, so maybe the two of you can-" 

"Not a chance, Hitoshi." Izuku quickly cut off his friend, a sharp tone followed by a cold look… but it quickly delved into a more depressed gloom, "Face it, she's on a whole other league, leading another life. I doubt we'd ever just _ see _ each other again, maybe on the occasion we work on a case together-!! OW!!" 

The detective yelped when Toshi jabbed the spike on the back of his paw lightly against his side, though it still was a sharp and sudden surprise. Toshi looked up at Midoriya and sighed, "Young Man, I will not have you berating yourself like that. And who are you to say that of Young Uraraka? You're not even allowing yourself to have a chance while denying her a chance to make her own decision on the matter." 

Izuku drew back, a choked sound leaving his throat as he quickly realized that he didn't have a rebuttal to that… Toshi was right, of course. He lowered his head down a bit, his evergreen locks shading his eyes. But when he was about to agree with the Lucario, "Yeah, I guess you're r-" he was immediately cut off.

Toshi immediately tensed up, a stern hushing coming from the older Pokehuman. "Shush… Young Midoriya, wait." He was rigid all over, his big ears twitching.

Izuku's eyes widened, sweat starting to form from rising anxiety. Immediately, he knew that something was wrong. There weren't any bird calls from Flying Types, no Bug Types flying or mammalian, small Pokemon scampering about. The atmosphere was void. Quietly, without taking his eyes off of his companion, he muttered a quiet, "Shinso…" 

"Yeah… I noticed." Shinso had already stopped and saw how tense Toshi was. He actually was about to question why Midoriya seemed to listen so intently to the yellow Pokemon's various growls and barks as if he were actually talking, but then Feral and Lucky started to act differently too. "Something's not right…" he muttered, orchid irises scanning the area around the group. "Turvy, come out." 

After Shinso activated his third and last Dusk Pokeball, a large Malamar came out, hovering over the ground as he too became aware of his surroundings… the large Pokemon's eyes drifted over to Eri first before scrutinizing Toshi next, but refocused himself.

Izuku murmured unsettled nothings under his breath a bit, hating the sense of unease lingering around them. However, when he heard a small whimper come from Eri, he immediately went over to her and the other two Pokemon. He got his little sister's attention, smiling down at her as he reached, catching Eri as she jumped up into his arms. In an effort to put her at ease, he whispered to her, "Don't worry… Shin-chan and I will keep you safe. Ojisan will make sure of that too, okay?" He could practically feel his heart shatter at how the little girl quivered, only a small sound of acknowledgement coming from her. 

He turned to his partner, his voice stern with a hushed tone as he held onto his small companion, "I don't like this… Shinso, we should just-"

"Young Midoriya!!" 

Izuku heard Toshi yell from shock, but he had already reacted when seeing a bright light from the corner of his eye. He had barely ducked in time… but having been in his line of work for a few years now with added things along the side, he learned to react fast. Besides… he'd seen much faster Fire Type attacks than that. 

Either way, even with dropping to his back, it still freaking burned. It almost felt like he nearly singed his eyebrows. 

Shinso vaulted backwards, shouting, "Midoriya!! Are you alright!?" He didn't need to ask it, he already knew Izuku was fine, but it was good to ask anyways. He looked over to the direction the attack came from, "What the Hell was _ that _?? Did we go into a territory of a Pokemon's??" He sent Turvy over to the two, the larger Pokemon already having moved the motorcycle out of the way. "Turv's, try to locate the attacker!" 

"N-Niichan??" Eri cried out, her ears lifted up as she tried to get a read on his status, "Niichan!! Are you okay??" 

Toshi knew it was potentially a mistake, but he allowed himself to get distracted with knowing if Midoriya was alright or not. He couldn't help but feel worried, to be expected, especially when Midoriya failed to respond right away to their smallest companion.

To the relief of the group, Izuku grunted out, "'m fine… ow…" He sat up by propping up his forearm, his other still protectively wrapped around Eri. He had purposefully collapsed more on his back so that she wouldn't get smooshed under his weight, not that he weighed all that much, so it was a pretty hard hit. In a poor attempt to be funny, he muttered, "I've been through worse…" 

"Woah… never seen anyone dodge Turtonator's Flamethrower like _ that _ before." 

While Toshi reacted on instinct and leapt out of the way, Shinso felt himself get shoved backwards when the sound of a powerful impact echoed out. It didn't take long for him to figure out that Lucky had covered him, the canine Pokemon quickly moving to use Swords Dance. Turvy could be heard hissing at the unknown entity, Feral leaping off of Shinso to go find and hide in a tactical location. 

A tall Pangoro ominously straightened up from where he made a miniature crater in the forest floor. From behind densely packed trees, a man with a Turtonator came into view, a smug look on his face. "Oh, look! Another amazing, incredibly inconvenient series of dodging!"

The purple-haired detective _ hated _ the cockiness in the unknown man's voice. _ 'Damn… clearly that bastard is a thug if he's going to do something as lowly as this… good thing Lucky lives up to his name without trying.' _ Shinso figured out that Turvy was angered by the fact that he couldn't help attack the Pangoro, his Dark attacks practically useless while his Psychic attacks were rendered completely ineffective. His other two Pokemon weren't going to fare much better against any of the opponent's Fighting Type attacks either. _ 'Ugh… that's what I get for specializing in Dark Types, I guess… maybe Midoriya can get Toshi to help KO the heavy hitter-' _

He realized he hadn't heard Izuku make a single sound- _ oh _. Oh no. "Midoriya…" he choked out, grunting from the soreness of his own stumble backwards, "Midoriya, listen to me… you'll be okay! It's not a real Dragon!!" 

"Real… Dragon?" Toshi broke his fighting stance when Young Shinso brought his partner to his attention. "Young Midoriya-!?" 

"Niichan!!" Eri cried out, now wiggled out of Izuku's now lax arm. Toshi saw her begin to panic, her eyes glowing as her ears lifted up so that she could just figure out what was _ wrong _ with him. His eyes looked glossed over, unseeing, the gaping look on his face making Toshi feel sick to his stomach… that expression was the very depiction of someone left in pure terror.

"Toshi!" The Lucario whirled around to face Shinso, the detective now standing up. The purple haired male kept his furious eyes locked on the criminal, but he spoke out to the Pokemon, "You need to protect Izuku! He can't hear us right now. He's…" He tried to look for words that would be easy to understand, all the while trying to sound calm to put up a facade. "He's locked in his mind, but he'll be okay as long as we pull through. I know it's not good to have to force you to fight, but please help me. Turvy will provide backup." 

Toshi paused for a moment, fighting the urge to go and rush over to his companion's side. Young Shinso was right, he needed to focus on protecting Young Midoriya. He needed to trust Young Shinso, that their friend was going to be alright. _ 'Heh… I almost regret not having him know that we're humans.' _

He snapped back into focus, not noticing the glint from the megastone hanging around his neck as a small surge of raw power made a breeze around his fighting stance. Eri wouldn't be able to defend herself from the Pangoro at all with her Psychic Type attacks, so he'd have to be taken down first. 

Toshi almost chuckled when Shinso showed he was thinking the same thing, shouting, "Lucky!! Play Rough!!" and the almost completely white Pokemon leapt to action with a peculiar, pinkish glow surrounding his claws as he tackled the larger Pokemon.

The yellow Pokehuman trusted that his ally had the larger beast under control. He checked to see Young Eri beginning to try and break Young Midoriya out of his state of shock, before he began running over to the Turtonator, apparently the source of his companion's stupor, while the Malamar hovered at an impressive speed and waited for Toshi to take action. 

The Lucario refrained from snarling as he caught whiff of the man… recognizing a particular scent from the other day. The man sneered, "Oh! So _ you're _ that shiny Pokemon that gave my boys a run for their money and took out my Weavile!! I can't believe I ran into you again!! My buyer will be _ very _ excited to hear that you're in my care-?" He glanced over at Izuku, laughing under his breath, "Haha, is _ that _ your trainer?? That's so pathetic!!" He held his sides with tattooed, fingerless-glove covered hands. He looked back up with a demented look, "What? Is my team _ really _ that amazing that he just drops in awe?" He only moved his eyes to the side as he grinned, "Here! How about this to make your trainer more _ amazed _… Turtonator, use Dragon Pulse on that ba-!!" 

To the humans, Toshi's battle cry sounded like a mighty roar, sending out a powerful Aura Sphere that knocked the Fire Dragon Type flying backwards. Toshi growled, both literally and figuratively, mumbling under his breath, "I know about your abilities, you damn explosive turtle. Only a fool would think that approaching you would be a good idea." 

He turned to Turvy, his ally understanding him as he informed, "Turvy, hold back on attacking for now. You're a physical attacker, so wait for the enemy to be weaker so you don't get massive backlash." The Malamar nodded, confident in Toshi's strategy.

Toshi's cerulean irises glinted as he glared at the thug, "You… you have a lot of nerve trying to hurt my friend… let alone attacking someone when they're _ petrified _ ? And you dare call _ him _ the pathetic one?" 

The criminal didn't need to know exactly what the Lucario was saying in order to understand the amount of anger rolling off of him in almost visible waves. But he only smirked, "It's gonna take a lot more than _ that _to take down my Pokemon… but I gotta say, your shocking intuition is only gonna make your price skyrocket."

Toshi barely moved out of the way in time, when another nasty Flamethrower attack came barreling out at him. _ 'Shit!! That was close-!!' _ The second shot went in the direction of Young Midoriya and Young Eri, clearly aimed with the intent to for Toshi to take the hit. And he did, without any hesitation. He leapt into the direct line of literal fire, crying out in anguish at the heat of the flames. But even if he in particular was weak to Fire, he wouldn't _ dare _ hesitate to protect his little girl and his partner. _ 'I promised… I'd protect you both… and I'll be damned if I can't even do that.' _ He went into his fighting stance again, ignoring the nasty burn he felt to the best of his ability. _ 'So I'll stand.' _

Shinso didn't need to hear the words to know that Toshi shouted _ "BRING IT ON!!" _ at the top of his lungs, an amused smirk playing at his lips. "Damn, Midoriya… your Pokemon are so cool…" 

✧*✫*★*✫*✧

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this is actually the first time I've ever attempted a big fight scene. Originally, it was just going to be a small scuffle with some added stress, but then I quickly discovered I can't do that, so this fight scene will be 2 parts. My bad, but hey! At least Chapter 7 is already almost done! I'll have it out before the end of the month! Toodles~
> 
> PS, I'm starting to think that Shinso is becoming my favorite character to write. Please tell me if I'm accidentally going out of character with him, because I really want to make sure I'm writing him well. TwT


	7. Past and Present Battlefronts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the battle finally comes to a close, Eri fights on a much different one… one that has been at play for years now. Izuku needs all the help he can get on one battle, and Shinso's team along with Toshi on another. Will things brighten up for our intrepid adventurers?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG ALMOST 2000 HITS AND OVER 100 KUDOS!!! THANK YOU ALL SO, SO MUCH!!!!!

✧*✫*★*✫*✧

Toshi and Turvy both took turns taking hits, defending Eri and Izuku from getting hit by the cruel Turtonator. They both were breathing heavily at this point, but Toshi was faring much worse due to his weakness. 

The Pokehuman looked from the corner of his eye when Lucky collapsed after getting punched brutally by the still standing Pangoro, the Absol shaking as he struggled to stand back up. The Dark Fighting Type villain looked worse for wear, but even with low health, he still made for a terrifying opponent, especially to the pure Dark Type ally… whom of which refused to mega-evolve in combat. Shinso had briefly mentioned it before, something about how it was a shame that Lucky was terrified of his excessive power in his mega-evolved state. 

Toshi respected Lucky's passive stance, but it hurt to see Lucky take a beating like that willingly.  _ 'I need to help…!' _

"Toshi, don't worry about Lucky! I've got this." Shinso smirked, Feral jumping into the fray out of apparently nowhere… the clever Purrloin had remained hidden until the perfect moment, releasing a Play Rough attack on the unsuspecting Pangoro. The attack was precise, critical, and it nearly downed the now staggering beast.

"No, no, no!! Pangoro, what are you  _ doing _ ??" The criminal snarled, not showing any support for the near-defeated panda. He turned his full attention to his Turtonator, grinning wickedly, "Well then… guess you should end this quickly. Turtonator, Body Smash." 

Toshi paled. He had taken hit after hit along with Turvy for his two companions and the burn was only getting more unbearable. But what made things worse was the fact that the Turtonator was again, not targeting him… but the two on the ground. With that high defensive stat, Body Smash would obviously hurt Young Eri and knock her out, but it would  _ kill _ Young Midoriya. He'd have to risk getting knocked out himself in order to save them, trusting Shinso to fight afterwards, despite still fighting that huge, angry Pangoro. 

In what felt like slow motion, Toshi lunged forwards yet again, his mind racing as he watched the damned reptile readying itself to launch its devastating attack on his companions.

✧*✫*★*✫*✧

_ The world was dark…  _

_ He couldn't see anything around him. There was only void in his peripheral vision. He felt small… so small… frozen, always incapable of doing anything. _

_ However, there was something in front of him. It was the only thing he could watch. It was the only thing that was ever there. _

_ It was always there. Awake or asleep, it lingered on his mind. _

_He _**_hated_** _it._

_ He couldn't reach out to the inferno, he couldn't cry out anything, not even to his mother, though he knew deep down it would only reach her in Heaven. She was gone, the flower shop was gone, everything was consumed by the blue and purple Hellfire. One of the flames reached out and licked his little, right hand that had finally managed to lift itself, a phantom's touch that yielded a faux burning sensation. _

_ He couldn't cry out, not to the pain, nor to the shadowed figure that reared its head, the demon that haunted his every dream and scorched them into nightmares and sometimes terrors if it was feeling less merciful.  _

_ This was one of those times it chose to torment Izuku, a wicked, glowing and fanged smile reaching across its draconic face, blue flames billowing out of the sides of its mouth as it looked at its prey with sickening glee. It grinned with malice that spoke, "I killed your mother… and now I will kill you too."  _

_ The young child finally sobbed, crouching down as he tried to shut out the beast that surely was going to make that promise true- _

_ "…iichan…" _

_ The boy gasped a little, but he didn't lift up his head.  _

_ "Niichan!!" _

_ There was… someone else there? He couldn't believe it, mumbling out, "… wh… wh-what…?" The little boy sniffled, still quivering as he timidly looked up from his huddled crouch-!! _

_ There before him was a little girl, not much bigger than himself. Her off white hair flowed in long waves behind her, almost having a bluish, silvery tint to it. Her big, concern-filled eyes of a ruby color startled Izuku a little, not used to having anyone other than his mother look at him with such kindness. The girl smiled softly, though her eyes were heavy with aching sorrow…  _

_ He didn't notice it at first, but the devilish figure was missing. When he looked around, trying to find out where his tormentor was hiding, he squeaked when the girl suddenly hugged him-!!  _

_ "Izuku… you're okay. You're not alone anymore."  _

_ The young adult held the little Espurr, tears rolling down his freckled cheeks, "E-Eri… th-thank you…"  _

✧*✫*★*✫*✧

Eri gasped when she finally was able to bring Izuku out of his terror, tear stains streaming down her cheek fur. Izuku was barely able to open up his eyes, a ringing sounding out in his ears and making it hard to refocus on the real world-!!

Though his vision was still spinning, he knew exactly what he was witnessing… he was just barely able to make out a yellow blur leaping in front of them, the damned Dragon Type now hurtling down at a rapid speed. Weakly, Izuku mumbled out, "T-Toshi…" 

Shinso reached out, fearful of what would happen to his best friend's Pokemon, yelling out, "Toshi, no!!" He started to run forwards, already determined to take the hit himself-!!

But right as the Lucario braced to take the hit for the two again, a huge blast of blinding, pink and white light came barreling into the Dragon Type to knock the turtle off course, the attack in the form of a surging ball of bundled up… moonlight!! With a quick pulse from his feet, Toshi redirected himself to land next to the now somewhat aware human, Shinso meanwhile skidding and falling backwards.

"Jin!! Use Moonblast again, before that Turtonator can recover!!" 

"Yukiko, use your Moonblast on that Pangoro. Kakiko, go help that Absol up." 

"Use your Sky Drop on the Pangoro once Yuki's Moonblast does its job, Muldowney!"

All that Izuku heard was voices giving out commands, followed immediately by a cacophony of various blasts, impacts, and Pokemon cries. He couldn't even react to a paw scooping up the back of his head, Toshi and Eri both helping him sit up.

"Easy, Young Midoriya." The Lucario mumbled softly, needing to crouch down on his knees. He looked over, recognizing one of the trainers in particular as her Gardevoir companion sent out an attack on the Turtonator, a smile tugging at his lips. "We're going to be alright."

Izuku smiled as much as he could, a hand limply reaching over to the tiny Pokemon hugging him, at least being able to register how soft Eri's fur was. "That's good…" He relaxed, for once in a long time feeling actually safe. 

✧*✫*★*✫*✧

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank you all for all of the love and support!!! 
> 
> I have been working on another story as well, Looking Into a Broken Mirror, and it's so far been moving along swimmingly. I highly recommend reading it, as it's already picking up speed. I will still be continuing this story though, so don't worry about me abandoning this fic, I adore my Pokehuman babies XD


	8. Familiar Faces and Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku and company have been rescued, luckily by people he knows! However… maybe not _all_ of the heroes in the small group are as friendly as the rest.

✧*✫*★*✫*✧

Izuku grimaced as he was helped up onto his feet by his purple haired friend. Toshi was forced to sit down with Shinso's team to get healed by their impromptu allies, the thug having been detained and his Pokemon having been recalled back to their Pokeballs. 

"Izuku, are you…?" Shinso started, trailing off since clearly his best friend wasn't _ okay _ , necessarily. Honestly, he couldn't believe that Izuku was actually _ aware _ after being catatonic just a minute ago. He glanced at the Espurr that was clinging onto Izuku's shoulder, staying tucked close to him. _ 'What did she do to you, Midoriya?' _ Somehow, the little pipsqueak woke him up… not to say he wasn't beyond freaking _ grateful _.

Izuku was able to get at least a partial smile to show, his lip twitching up. It wasn't even a lie for once when he answered, "I'm fine-!"

"Midoriya."

Izuku went wide-eyed, recognition making him cheer up more so. That double toned hair and two trademark Japanese and Hawaiian Ninetales tailing close to the man's sides were unmistakable, the two regal Pokemon alarming Eri-chan as she hid a little behind Izuku's leg. "Well I'll be damned." 

Todoroki smirked ever so slightly at the remark, "Nice to see you too, Midoriya, though this isn't what I'd call an ideal reunion." He turned to the other detective, "Nice to see you again too, Shinso." 

"Likewise." Shinso chuckled a bit, "Thanks for saving our a-" he glanced down at Eri, "butts." 

"Of course. It would have been a shame to lose the best detectives I know to a thug's Pokemon… speaking of which-!!"

"Midoriya!! Hey, are you alright??"

Izuku went so rigid, he nearly made his partner fall over with him, Shinso barely managing to keep the idiot standing. He couldn't believe who it was that he saw bounding over to them, "U-U-Uraraka!?" 

Sure enough, the brunette girl with rosy cheeks was right there before him yet again, panic laced into her expression and tone. "Oh, thank goodness!! I thought you were seriously hurt or something!!" She then took a moment to remember, "Oh! I almost forgot that you three know each other already! But I don't know you yet." She almost offered her hand for a handshake to the man with purple hair and heavy eyebags, but he was busy holding up Midoriya. "I'm Uraraka Ochaco." 

He had to quickly hide his snickering with a friendly smile, "Shinso Hitoshi. Pleased to meet you-!" 

As Todoroki was mentioning that he remembered Uraraka saying something about running into Midoriya, apparently _ literally _, Izuku and Shinso both watched as two Eeveelutions, an Umbreon with a small shell on a thin collar and a Sylveon with a plain black collar, came bounding up next to her. Izuku snorted a bit, not even having to look over to know that Shinso was already internally dying from seeing more adorable dog Pokemon. 

Ochaco noticed Shinso's awed look towards her two companions and she immediately decided that though he looked rather intimidating, she could definitely be friends with this other detective as well. "Oh! These two are my twin girls, Gen and Jin! You can pet Gen, she doesn't mind the affection! But…" She glanced down at the Sylveon, who already looked less than unamused, "Jin's a bit… sassy around new people." 

Shinso looked like he would melt at any moment, "A sweet Umbreon and a snarky Sylveon… my life's journey is complete." This got a good laugh out of everyone, even Todoroki, who chuckled modestly. 

Ochaco looked down when she noticed something moving from behind Izuku's leg and nearly squealed when she saw the little Espurr with big, curious eyes. "Awww!! She's so cute!!" She squatted down to get on the small Pokemon's level, not wanting to scare the adorable baby girl. 

Eri pouted a little bit, muttering to Izuku, _ 'I'm not a _ baby _ . Tell her not to call me a baby, Niichan.' _

_ 'E-Eri, I can't just tell her that. A-and please don't read her mind!' _ Izuku, now focusing more on his little sister, was able to finally speak up to Ochaco, "O-oh! This is Eri-chan! She's very sweet." He thought to her, _ 'Come on, Eri! Come out from behind me, goofball. You can trust Uraraka and Todoroki. They're both very nice!' _

Eri looked up at Izuku, before nodding with a small smile, _ 'Okay, Niichan!" _With only a little bit of hesitation, she tiptoed over to Ochaco, allowing the excited heroine to coddle her. 

"Midoriya, since when did you have Pokemon?" Todoroki was finally able to ask, continuing, "I thought you couldn't-" 

"Th-that's just with D-Drag-gon Types, T-Todoroki!" Izuku cried out in a stuttering squeak, startling the Pokemon, Eri and Ochaco. 

The shorter woman tilted her head to the side as she wondered what he meant, _ 'Dragon Types…?' _

Todoroki merely replied with a small, "Oh." He brought his hand up to his chin as he tried to piece together the new information with what he already knew. 

Shinso added in, "Really, it was just yesterday morning when he came in with Eri-chan, and then Toshi over there." He gestured with an upwards nod towards the Lucario that was looking rather annoyed by all the fussing being done over his minor wounds like scrapes and bruises by a man with navy hair and glasses.

Todoroki looked over, his expression actually changing drastically into one of shock, though his tone was still calm, "Wait, really? That Lucario? How?" 

Izuku's words caught in his throat as he tried to explain why, unable to think of a story that either of them would believe- but his words died all together in a single instant, his pupils dilating. He had made eye contact with burning, crimson, a scowl he knew all too well greeting him. 

"Deku." 

Izuku felt an exasperated breath leave him, hearing himself sigh as he spoke with a deadpanned tone, "Hey, Kacchan…" 

Eri looked up, already completely ignoring Ochaco as she focused on her older brother. She didn't want him to go into another shutdown, so she began to climb up onto him, settling on his shoulder… but she couldn't help but notice how miserable Izuku's tone was, underneath the coldness in his voice and stare.

Bakugo Katsuki had been with the other two from the small group of Pokemon Heroes as they explained to the local law enforcement what happened, when he decided to check up on the others. Earlier, when he had seen that it was that worthless runt Deku and Zombie Eyes that had gotten attacked, he nearly had Cinder blow up the bastard thug's ass. He could _ almost _ say that it was a good thing that she and the rest of his team learned to ignore him in his rages and focused on their hero work. 

But this new rage had nothing to do with battles. His Pokemon weren't involved in this. No one was going to stop him as he trudged over in a stomping fit as he approached his two teammates, Zombie and… "** _Deku…_ ** " He was standing. He wasn't on the ground or braindead anymore. That meant that he would be able to listen, and he _ better _ listen.

Izuku was just finally getting his feeling back into his feet, so he still stumbled as he tried to pull away from Shinso's support. The whole group (except maybe Todoroki) flinched as visible waves of anger rose from Bakugo, his eyes practically glowing like smoldering coals. Izuku recalled all the times that Bakugo had brought out his Charizard, mocked him when he froze up, _ burned _ him…!! He let out a sharp, choked sound when he felt himself get knocked on the head, nearly having toppled over had it not been for his friend's support. 

"N-Niichan!!" Eri had almost fallen off of his shoulder from the sudden force, but she managed to cling on. 

"Bakugo, what the heck!?" Ochaco cried out next to them. Sure, she, along with everyone else in their class, was used to him acting out aggressively, shouting at everyone and everything, making threats that nine out of ten times were pretty weightless… but _ this _ was not something he did unless he really _ knew _ the pers- wait a minute. They had nicknames for each other…

"Hey, jackass!! What the Hell do you think-" Shinso started shouting, only to get cut off.

"YOU IDIOT!! WHAT THE **HELL** DO YOU THINK YOU'RE **DOING** OUT HERE, DEKU!?!?" Bakugo snapped, startling everyone. "YOU NEARLY GOT YOUR ASS KILLED, YOU FUCKING NERD!!" He trailed over in aggravated noises varying from sighs to growls, his teeth clenched as he shook ever so slightly. 

"Wh-what!?" Izuku had literally no idea how else to respond. He gawked at his childhood "friend", unable to fully process _ why _ exactly Kacchan sounded like he… no, it wasn't that. It _ couldn't _ be that. _ Caring _ for his sake was never something that Kacchan could be capable of, he was positive of that. Izuku, not even feeling the grimace plastered on his face, was able to ignore the throbbing in his head, his full attention directed towards Katsuki-

"Young Midoriya!" Izuku turned to see as Toshi came over, the man with glasses following behind as he desperately tried to talk sense into the stubborn Lucario to come back and rest. Toshi growled lowly, "I saw this other young man hit you, but I noticed that he was also worried for you. Is this someone close to you?" Even though he knew that this aggressive man wasn't against his partner, Toshi still snarled at the ash blond as he made his way to his boy. 

"T-Toshi…" Izuku shook his head, "This is Kacchan. He's…" He blinked, _'He… he was worried…?' _He trailed off, not really sure _ what _to call Kacchan. He didn't even know how he should continue. Shinso and Todoroki both knew, but as for Ochaco and the other teammates in their group… did they need to know what Kacchan had done? That could ruin their group dynamic, if they're all heroes-

"What the Hell!?" Katsuki had stepped away from the yellow Lucario, "Deku, did you _finally _get a Pokemon partner!?" His eye twitched, immediately snapping, "'bout fucking time!! Damn it, your dumb ass is so far behind!! You're gonna get killed, even _if_ you have a badass partner!!" 

"Ugh, why the Hell do _ you _ care!?" Izuku didn't even think twice before snapping back, agitation and stress setting him on edge. "Cut it out! It's not like you _ do_, so leave me _ alone _ for once!"

Indignation was blatantly splashed onto Katsuki's expression. He clenched his teeth, hissing out, "You damned idiot!! Is that what you think, Deku!?"

"Okay, both 'you two, knock it off!" Shinso griped, Todoroki adding in, "Please stop. Midoriya can barely walk. We all need to just rest for a bit." 

Ochaco piped up, "Let's set up camp! Then we can ask about why you two are out here without getting all pissed off-!"

Simultaneously, Bakugo shouted and Izuku stated, "I'm not getting pissed off, he-" They immediately looked at each other, sparks going off between their staredown. 

The other man, the one who had been healing Toshi and the other actual Pokemon, hesitantly asked out loud, "Do I… even _ want _ to know what is going on here?" 

Ochaco deflated, "Honestly, Iida? I'm not sure I know that either."

✧*✫*★*✫*✧

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to say! Ochaco's Sylveon's name Jin sounds more like Jean. 
> 
> Thank you as always for reading everyone 💚


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